Riverside  Literature  Series 


SHUMWAYlS' 
The  Nibelungenlied 


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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

IRVINE 

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PRCF.   DONALD  HEDtEY 


Ww  Htoersioc  ^Literature  fyttits 

THE 

NIBELUNGENLIED 

TRANSLATED  FROM 

THE  MIDDLE  HIGH  GERMAN 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTORY 

SKETCH  AND  NOTES 

BY 

DANIEL  BUSSIER   SHUMWAY 

Professor  of  German  Philology  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania 


BOSTON      NEW  YORK      CHICAGO      SAN   FRANCISCO 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 
drjc  Ctirjcrsibc  press  Cambridge 


T 

■ 


COPYRIGHT,    1909,    BY   DANIEL   BUSS1ER    SHUMWAY 
ALL   RIGHTS    RESERVED 


Clir  i^ibrrsiDt  {3rt 89 

CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
PRINTED  IN  THE  U  .  S  .  A 


TO  MY  WIFE 


80715 


PREFACE 

This  translation  has  been  undertaken  in  the  belief 
that  so  important  an  epic  as  the  NibelungenJied  should 
be  represented  in  The  Riverside  Literature  Series. 
Prose  has  been  selected  as  the  medium  of  translation, 
since  it  is  hardly  possible  to  give  an  accurate  render- 
ing and  at  the  same  time  to  meet  the  demands  imposed 
by  rhyme  and  metre :  at  least,  none  of  the  verse  trans- 
lations made  thus  far  have  succeeded  in  doing  this. 
The  prose  translations,  on  the  other  hand,  mostly  err  in 
being  too  continuous  and  in  condensing  too  much,  so 
that  they  retell  the  story  instead  of  translating  it.  The 
present  translator  has  tried  to  avoid  these  two  extremes. 
He  has  endeavored  to  translate  literally  and  accurately, 
and  to  reproduce  the  spirit  of  the  original,  as  far  as  a 
prose  translation  will  permit.  To  this  end  the  language 
has  been  made  as  simple  and  as  Saxon  in  character  as 
possible.  An  exception  has  been  made,  however,  in  the 
case  of  such  Romance  words  as  were  in  use  in  England 
during  the  age  of  the  romances  of  chivalry,  and  which 
would  help  to  lend  a  Romance  coloring ;  these  have 
been  frequently  employed.  Very  few  obsolete  words 
have  been  used,  and  these  are  explained  in  the  notes, 
but  the  language  has  been  made  to  some  extent  archaic, 
especially  in  dialogue,  in  order  to  give  the  impression 
of  age.  The  Introductory  Sketch  has  been  made  quite 
complete  and  frequent  references  to  authorities  have 
been  introduced  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  advanced 
student.  These  authorities  are  listed  at  the  close  of  the 


viii  PREFACE 

Introduction,  with  the  page  and  line  references  indi- 
cated. A  short  list  of  English  works  on  the  subject 
has  also  been  added. 

In  conclusion  the  translator  would  like  to  thank  his 
colleagues,  C.  G.  Child  and  Cornelius  Weygandt,  for 
their  helpful  suggestions  in  starting  the  work,  and  also 
to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  the  German  edition 
of  Paul  Piper,  especially  in  preparing  the  notes. 

Daniel  Bussier  Shumway. 

Philadelphia,  September  12,  1910. 


CONTENTS 


I.   Of  Kriemhild •      1 

II.   Of  Siegfried 4 

III.  How  Siegfried  came  to  Worms        .        .      8 

IV.  HOW   HE    FOUGHT   WITH   THE   SAXONS  .  20 

V.  How  Siegfried  first  saw  Kriemhild        .    36 
vi.   how    gunther    fared  to   isenland   for 

Brunhild 44 

VII.   How  Gunther  won  Brunhild         .        .        53 
VIII.   How    Siegfried    fared    to    his    Men-at- 

Arms,  the  Nibelungs    ....        65 
IX.   How  Siegfried  was  sent  to  Worms         .     72 
X.   How  Brunhild  was  received  at  Worms     79 
XI.   How    Siegfried     journeyed     homeward 

with  his  Wife 93 

XII.   How    Gunther    bade    Siegfried    to   the 

Feasting 98 

XIII.  How  they  journeyed  to  the  Feasting    .  106 

XIV.  How  the  Queens  reviled  each  other        111 
XV.   How  Siegfried  was  betrayed   .        .        .  120 

XVI.   How  Siegfried  was  slain       .        .        .      125 
XVII.   How   Kriemhild    mourned  her   Husband 

and  how  he  was  buried      .        .        .      136 
xviii.   how  slegmund  journeyed  home  again    .  145 
xix.   how  the  nlbelung   hoard  was  brought 

to  Worms  ...,,,.  149 


x  CONTENTS 

XX.   How  King  Etzel  sent  to  Burgundy  for 

Kriemhild 155 

XXI.   How  Kriemhild  journeyed  to  the  Huns  171 
XXII.   How  Etzel  made  Kriemhild  his  Bride     .  180 

XXIII.  How  Kriemhild   thought  to  avenge  her 

Wrongs 187 

XXIV.  How  Werbel  and  Swemmel  brought  the 

Message 192 

XXV.  How  the  Lords  all  journeyed  to  the 

Huns '        203 

XXVI.   How  Gelfrat  was  slain  by  Dankwart  .  214 
XXVII.   How  they  came  to  Bechelaren        .        .  223 

XXVIII.    HOW    THE    BURGUNDIANS    CAME    TO   EtZEL's 

Castle 232 

XXIX.   How  Hagen  would  not  rise  for  Kriem- 
hild     ...  ....  238 

XXX.   How  they  kept  the  Watch   .        .        .      246 

XXXI.     HOW   THEY   WENT   TO   CHURCH  .  .  .    250 

XXXII.   How  Bloedel  was  slain         .        .        .      259 

XXXIII.  How  the  Burgundians  fought  the  Huns  263 

XXXIV.  HOW   THEY  CAST   OUT   THE   DEAD  .  .         271 

XXXV.   How  Iring  was  slain 274 

XXXVI.   How  the   Queen  gave   Orders   to   burn 

the  Hall 281 

XXXVII.   How  Margrave  Rudeger  was  slain     .      289 
XXXVIII.   How  all  Sir  Dietrich's  Warriors  were 

slain 302 

XXXIX.   How   Gunther    and   Hagen   and   Kriem- 
hild were  slain 314 

Notes 321 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH 

There  is  probably  no  poem  of  German  literature  that 
has  excited  such  universal  interest,  or  that  has  been  so 
much  studied  and  discussed,  as  the  Nibelungenlied.  In 
its  present  form  it  is  a  product  of  the  age  of  chivalry, 
but  it  reaches  back  to  the  earliest  epochs  of  German 
antiquity,  and  embraces  not  only  the  pageantry  of 
courtly  chivalry,  but  also  traits  of  ancient  Germanic 
folklore  and  probably  of  Teutonic  mythology.  One  of 
its  earliest  critics  fitly  called  it  a  German  Iliad,  for, 
like  this  great  Greek  epic,  it  goes  back  to  the  remot- 
est times  and  unites  the  monumental  fragments  of 
half-forgotten  myths  and  historical  personages  into  a 
poem  that  is  essentially  national  in  character,  and  the 
embodiment  of  all  that  is  great  in  the  antiquity  of 
the  race.  Though  lacking  to  some  extent  the  dignity 
of  the  Iliad,  the  Nibelungenlied  surpasses  the  former 
in  the  deep  tragedy  which  pervades  it,  the  tragedy  of 
fate,  the  inevitable  retribution  for  crime,  the  never- 
dying  struggle  between  the  powers  of  good  and  evil, 
between  light  and  darkness. 

That  the  poem  must  have  been  exceedingly  popular 
during  the  Middle  Ages  is  evinced  by  the  great  number 
of  Manuscripts  that  have  come  down  to  us.  We  pos- 
sess in  all  twenty-eight  more  or  less  complete  MSS., 
preserved  in  thirty-one  fragments,  fifteen  of  which  date 
from  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  Of  all 
these  MSS.,  but  nine  are  so  well  preserved  that,  in 
spite  of  some  minor  breaks,  they  can  be  considered 


xii  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

complete.  Of  this  number  three,  designated  respect- 
ively as  A,  B,  C,  are  looked  upon  as  the  most  import- 
ant for  purposes  of  textual  criticism,  and  around  them 
a  fierce  battle  has  been  waged,  which  is  not  even  yet 
settled.1  It  is  now  generally  conceded  that  the  longest 
MS.,  C,  is  a  later  redaction  with  many  additional 
strophes,  but  opinions  are  divided  as  to  whether  the 
priority  should  be  given  to  A  or  B,  the  probabilities 
being  that  B  is  the  more  original,  A  merely  a  careless 
copy  of  B. 

In  spite  of  the  great  popularity  of  the  Nibelungen- 
lied,  the  poem  was  soon  forgotten  by  the  mass  of  the 
people.  With  the  decay  of  courtly  chivalry  and  the 
rise  of  the  prosperous  citizen  class,  whose  ideals  and 
tastes  lay  in  a  different  direction,  this  epic  shared  the 
fate  of  many  others  of  its  kind,  and  was  relegated  to 
the  dusty  shelves  of  monastery  or  ducal  libraries,  there 
to  wait  till  a  more  cultured  age,  curious  as  to  the  lit- 
erature of  its  ancestors,  should  bring  it  forth  from  its 
hiding  places.  However,  the  figures  of  the  old  legend 
were  not  forgotten,  but  lived  on  among  the  people,  and 
were  finally  embodied  in  a  popular  ballad,  Das  Lied 
vom  Humeri  Seyfrid^  which  has  been  preserved  in  a 
print  of  the  sixteenth  century,  although  the  poem  itself 
is  thought  to  go  back  at  least  to  the  thirteenth.  The 
legend  was  also  dramatized  by  Hans  Sachs,  the  shoe- 

1  A  is  a  parchment  MS.  of  the  second  half  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, now  found  in  Munich.  It  forms  the  hasis  of  Lachmann's  edition. 
B  is  a  parchment  MS.  of  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  belong- 
ing to  the  monastery  of  St.  Gall.  It  has  been  edited  by  Bartsch, 
Deutsche  Klassiker  des  Mittelalters,  vol.  3,  and  by  Piper,  Deutsche  Na- 
tional-Literatur,  vol.  6.  C  is  a  parchment  MS.,  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, now  in  the  ducal  library  of  Donaueschingen.  It  is  the  best 
written  of  all  the  MSS.,  and  has  been  edited  by  Zarncke. 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH  xiii 

maker  poet  of  Nuremberg,  and  related  in  prose  form  in  a 
chap  book  which  still  exists  in  prints  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  story  and  the  characters  gradually  be- 
came so  vague  and  distorted,  that  only  a  trained  eye 
could  detect  in  the  burlesque  figures  of  the  popular 
account  the  heroes  of  the  ancient  Germanic  Legend. 

The  honor  of  rediscovering  the  JYlbelungenlied  and 
of  restoring  it  to  the  world  of  literature  belongs  to  a 
young  physician  by  the  name  of  J.  H.  Obereit,  who 
found  the  manuscript  C  at  the  castle  of  Hohenems  in 
the  Tirol  on  June  29,  1755  ;  but  the  scientific  study 
of  the  poem  begins  with  Karl  Lachmann,  one  of  the 
keenest  philological  critics  that  Germany  has  ever  pro- 
duced. In  1816  he  read  before  the  University  of  Ber- 
lin his  epoch-making  essay  upon  the  original  form  of 
the  Nihelungenlied.  Believing  that  the  poem  was 
made  up  of  a  number  of  distinct  ballads  or  lays,  he 
sought  by  means  of  certain  criteria  to  eliminate  all 
parts  which  were,  as  he  thought,  later  interpolations 
or  emendations.  As  a  result  of  this  sifting  and  dis- 
carding process,  he  reduced  the  poem  to  what  he  con- 
sidered to  have  been  its  original  form,  namely,  twenty 
separate  lays,  which  he  thought  had  come  down  to  us  in 
practically  the  same  form  in  which  they  had  been  sung 
by  various  minstrels. 

This  view  is  no  longer  held  in  its  original  form. 
Though  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  ballads  of 
Siegfried  the  dragon  killer,  of  Siegfried  and  Kriem- 
hild,  and  of  the  destruction  of  the  Nibelungs  existed 
in  Germany,  yet  these  ballads  are  no  longer  to  be 
seen  in  our  poem.  They  formed  merely  the  basis  or 
source  for  some  poet  who  thought  to  revive  the  old 


i*-' 


xiv  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

heroic  legends  of  the  German  past  which  were  famil- 
iar to  his  hearers  and  to  adapt  them  to  the  tastes  of 
his  time.  In  ail  probability  we  mast  assume  two, 
three,  or  even  more  steps  in  the  genesis  of  the  poem. 
There  appear  to  have  been  two  different  sources,  one 
a  Low  German  account,  quite  simple  and  brief,  the 
other  a  tradition  of  the  Lower  Rhine.  The  legend  was 
perhaps  developed  by  minstrels  along  the  Rhine,  until 
it  was  taken  and  worked  up  into  its  present  form  by 
some  Austrian  poet.  Who  this  poet  was  we  do  not 
know,  but  we  do  know  that  he  was  perfectly  familiar 
with  all  the  details  of  courtly  etiquette.  He  seems 
also  to  have  been  acquainted  with  the  courtly  epics  of 
Heinrich  von  Veldeke  and  Hartman  von  Ouwe,  but 
his  poem  is  free  from  the  tedious  and  often  exagger- 
ated descriptions  of  pomp,  dress,  and  court  ceremonies, 
that  mar  the  beauty  of  even  the  best  of  the  courtly 
epics.  Many  painstaking  attempts  have  been  made  to 
discover  the  identity  of  the  writer  of  our  poem,  but 
even  the  most  plausible  of  all  these  theories  which 
considers  Kiirenberg,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the  Min- 
nesingers, to  be  the  author,  because  of  the  similarity 
of  the  strophic  form  of  our  poem  to  that  used  by  him, 
is  not  capable  of  absolute  proof,  and  recent  investiga- 
tions go  to  show  that  Kiirenberg  was  indebted  to  the 
Nibelungen  strophe  for  the  form  of  his  lyric,  and  not 
the  Nibelungenlied  to  him.  The  Nibelungen  strophe 
is  presumably  much  older,  and,  having  become  popular 
in  Austria  through  the  poem,  was  adopted  by  Kiiren- 
berg for  his  purposes.  As  to  the  date  of  the  poem,  in 
its  present  form  it  cannot  go  back  further  than  about 
1190,  because  of  the  exactness  of  the  rhymes,  nor 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xv 

could  it  have  been  written  later  than  1204,  because  of 
certain  allusions  to  it  in  the  sixth  book  of  Parzival, 
which  we  know  to  have  been  written  at  this  date.  The 
two  Low  German  poems  which  probably  form  the  basis 
of  our  epic  may  have  been  united  about  1150.  It  was  re- 
vised and  translated  into  High  German  and  circulated 
at  South  German  courts  about  1170,  and  then  received 
its  present  courtly  form  about  1190,  this  last  version 
being  the  immediate  source  of  our  manuscripts. 

The  story  of  Siegfried,  his  tragic  death,  and  the 
dire  vengeance  visited  upon  his  slayers,  which  lies  at 
the  basis  of  our  poem,  antedates  the  latter  by  many 
centuries,  and  was  known  to  all  nations  whose  lan- 
guages prove  by  their  resemblance  to  the  German 
tongue  their  original  identity  with  the  German  people. 
Not  only  along  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  and  the  Danube 
and  upon  the  upland  plains  of  Southern  Germany,  but 
also  along  the  rocky  fjords  of  Norway,  among  the 
Angles  and  Saxons  in  their  new  home  across  the  chan- 
nel, even  in  the  distant  Shetland  Islands  and  on  the 
snow-covered  wastes  of  Iceland,  this  story  was  told 
around  the  fires  at  night  and  sung  to  the  harp  in  the 
banqueting  halls  of  kings  and  nobles, -each  people  and 
each  generation  telling  it  in  its  own  fashion  and  adding 
new  elements  of  its  own  invention.  This  great  geograph- 
ical distribution  of  the  legend,  and  the  variety  of  forms 
in  which  it  appears,  make  it  difficult  to  know  where  we 
must  seek  its  origin.  The  northern  version  is  in  many 
respects  older  and  simpler  in  form  than  the  German, 
but  still  it  is  probable  that  Norway  was  not  the  home 
of  the  saga,  but  that  it  took  its  rise  in  Germany  along 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine  anion"'  the  ancient  tribe  of  the 


s/ 


xvi  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

Franks,  as  is  shown  by  the  many  geographical  names 
that  are  reminiscent  of  the  characters  of  the  story, 
such  as  a  Siegfried  spring  in  the  Odenwald,  a  Hagen 
well  at  Lorsch,  a  Brunhild  bed  near  Frankfort,  and 
the  well-known  Drachenfels,  or  Dragon's  Rock,  on  the 
Rhine.  It  is  to  Norway,  however,  that  we  must  go  for 
our  knowlege  of  the  story,  for,  singularly  enough, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Nibelungenlied  and  the 
popular  ballad,  German  literature  has  preserved  al- 
most no  trace  of  the  legend,  and  such  as  exist  are  too 
late  and  too  corrupt  to  be  of  much  use  in  determining 
the  original  features  of  the  story. 

Just  when  the  legend  emigrated  to  Skandinavia  we 
do  not  know,  but  certainly  at  an  early  date,  perhaps 
during  the  opening  years  of  the  sixth  century.  It  may 
have  been  introduced  by  German  traders,  by  slaves 
captured  by  the  Northmen  on  their  frequent  maraud- 
ing expeditions,  or,  as  Mogk  believes,  may  have  been 
taken  by  the  Heruli  on  their  return  to  Norway  after 
their  defeat  by  the  Langobardi.  By  whatever  channel, 
however,  the  story  reached  the  North,  it  became  part 
and  parcel  of  Skandinavian  folklore,  only  certain 
names  still  pointing  to  the  original  home  of  the  legend. 
In  the  ninth  century,  when  Harald  Harfagr  changed 
the  ancient  free  constitution  of  the  land,  many  Norwe- 
gians emigrated  to  Iceland,  taking  with  them  these 
acquired  legends,  which  were  better  preserved  in  this 
remote  island  because  of  the  peaceful  introduction  of 
Christianity,  than  on  the  Continent,  where  the  Church 
was  more  antagonistic  to  the  customs  and  legends  of 
the  heathen  period. 

The  Skandinavian  version  of  the  Siegfried  legend 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xvii 

has  been  handed  down  to  us  in  five  different  forms. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  poetic  or  older  J?dda,  also 
called  Saemund's  Edda,  as  it  was  assigned  to  the  cele- 
brated Icelandic  scholar  Saemundr  Sigfusson.  The 
Codex  Regius,  in  which  it  is  preserved,  dates  from  the 
middle  of  the  thirteenth  century,  but  is  probably  a 
copy  of  an  older  manuscript.  The  songs  it  contains 
were  written  at  various  times,  the  oldest  probably  in 
the  first  half  of  the  ninth  century,  the  latest  not  much 
before  the  date  of  the  earliest  manuscript.  Most  of 
them,  however,  belong  to  the  Viking  period,  when 
Christianity  was  already  beginning  to  influence  the  Nor- 
wegians, that  is,  between  the  years  800  and  1000. 
They  are  partly  heroic,  partly  mythological  in  charac- 
ter, and  are  written  in  alliterative  strophes  interspersed 
with  prose,  and  have  the  form  of  dialogues.  Though  the 
legends  on  which  these  songs  are  based  were  brought 
from  Norway,  most  of  them  were  probably  composed 
in  Iceland.  Among  these  songs,  now,  we  find  a  number 
which  deal  with  the  adventures  of  Siegfried  and  his 
tragic  end. 

The  second  source  of  the  Siegfried  story  is  the  so- 
called  Vblsimgasaga,  a  prose  paraphrase  of  the  Edda 
songs.  The  MS.  dates  from  the  beginning  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  but  the  account  was  probably  written 
a  century  earlier.  The  adventures  of  Siegfried  and  his 
ancestors  are  here  related  in  great  detail  and  his  an- 
cestry traced  back  to  Wodan.  Although  a  secondary 
source,  as  it  is  based  on  the  Edda,  the  Vblsungasaga 
is  nevertheless  of  great  importance,  since  it  supplies  a 
portion  of  the  Codex  Regius  which  has  been  lost,  and 
thus  furnishes  us  with  the  contents  of  the  missing  songs. 


xviii  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

The  third  source  is  the  prose  Edda,  sometimes  called 
the  Snorra  Edda,  after  the  famous  Icelander  Snorri 
Sturluson  (1178-1241), to  whom  it  was  ascribed.  The 
author  was  acquainted  with  both  the  poetic  Edda  and 
the  Vblsungasaga,  and  follows  these  accounts  closely. 
The  younger  Edda  is  not  really  a  tale,  but  a  book  of 
poetics  ;  it  relates,  however,  the  Siegfried  saga  briefly. 
It  is  considered  an  original  source,  since  it  evidently 
made  use  of  songs  that  have  not  come  down  to  us,  es- 
pecially in  the  account  of  the  origin  of  the  treasure, 
which  is  here  told  more  in  detail  and  with  considerable 
differences.  The  JVornagestsaga  or  JSfornageststhattr, 
the  story  of  Nornagest,  forms  the  fourth  source  of 
the  Siegfried  story.  It  is  really  a  part  of  the  Olaf  saga, 
but  contains  the  story  of  Sigurd  and  Gunnar  (the  Norse 
forms  of  Siegfried  and  Gunther),  which  an  old  man 
Nornagest  relates  to  King  Olaf  Tryggvason,  who  con- 
verted the  Norwegians  to  Christianity.  The  story  was 
written  about  1250  to  illustrate  the  transition  from 
heathendom  to  the  Christian  faith.  It  is  based  on  the 
Edda  and  the  Volsungasaga,  and  is  therefore  of  minor 
importance  as  a  source. 

These  four  sources  represent  the  early  introduction 
of  the  Siegfried  legend  into  Skandinavia.  A  second 
introduction  took  place  about  the  middle  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  at  the  time  of  the  flourishing  of  the 
Hanseatic  League,  when  the  story  was  introduced  to- 
gether with  other  popular  German  epics.  These  poems 
are  products  of  the  age  of  chivalry,  and  are  character- 
ized by  the  romantic  and  courtly  features  of  this  move- 
ment. The  one  which  concerns  us  here,  as  the  fifth 
source  of  the  Siegfried  story,  is  the  so-called  Thidrek- 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xix 

saga,  which  celebrates  the  adventures  of  the  famous 
legendary  hero,  Dietrich  of  Berne,  the  historical  The- 
odorich  of  Ravenna.  In  as  far  as  it  contains  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  Nibelungs,  it  is  also  called  the  Nif- 
lungasaga.  The  Thidreksaga  was  written  about  1250 
by  a  Norwegian  who,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  heard  the 
story  from  Germans  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bremen 
and  Miinster.  Since  it  is  thus  based  on  Saxon  tradi- 
tions, it  can  be  considered  an  independent  source  of 
the  legend,  and,  in  fact,  differs  from  the  earlier  Norse 
versions  in  many  important  details.  The  author  was 
acquainted,  however,  with  the  older  versions,  and  sought 
to  compromise  between  them,  but  mostly  followed  his 
German  authorities. 

The  story,  as  given  in  the  older  Norse  versions,  is 
in  most  respects  more  original  than  in  the  Nibelung- 
en lied.  It  relates  the  .history, of  the  treasure  of  the 
Nibelungs,  tracing  it  back  to  a  giant  by  the  name  of 
tlreithmar^  who  received  it  from  the  god  Loki  as  a 
compensation  for  the  killing  of  the  former's  son  Otur, 
whom  Loki  had  slain  in  the  form  of  an  otter.  Loki 
obtained  the  ransom  from  a  dwarf  named  Andwari, 
who  in  turn  had  stolen  it  from  the  river  gods  of  the 
Rhine.  Andwari  pronounces  a  terrible  curse  upon  the 
treasure  and  its  possessors,  and  this  curse  passes  from 
Loki  to  the  Giant  Hreithmar,  who  is  murdered  when 
asleep  by  his  two  sons  Fqfnir  and  liegln.  The  latter, 
however,  is  cheated  out  of  the  coveted  prize  by  Fafnir, 
who  carries  it  away  to  the  Gnita  heath,  where  he 
guards  it  in  the  form  of  a  dragon. 

This  treasure,  with  its  accompanying  curse,  next 
passes  into  the  hands  of  a  human  being  named  Sigurd 


xx  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

(the  Norse  form  of  Siegfried,  as  we  have  seen),  a  de- 
scendant of  the  race  of  the  Vblsungs,  who  trace  their 
history  back  to  Wodan  and  are  especially  favored  by 
him.  The  full  story  of  Siegfried's  ancestry  is  far  too 
long  to  relate  here,  and  does  not  especially  concern  us, 
as  it  has  little  or  no  influence  on  the  later  develop- 
ment of  the  story.  It  is  sufficient  for  our  purpose  to 
know  that  Siegfried  was  the  son  of  Siegmund,  who 
was  slain  in  battle  before  the  birth  of  his  son.  Si- 
gurd was  carefully  reared  by  his  mother  Hjbrdis  and 
the  wise  dwarf  Regin,  who  taught  him  the  know- 
ledge of  runes  and  of  many  languages.1  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  Regin,  Sigurd  asks  for  and  receives  the 
steed  Grani  from  the  king,,  and  is  then  urged  by  his 
tutor  to  help  him  obtain  the  treasure  guarded  by  the 
latter's  brother  Fafnir.  Sigurd  promises,  but  first  de- 
mands a  sword.  Two,  that  are  given  him  by  Regin, 
prove  worthless,  and  he  forges  a  new  one  from  the 
pieces  of  his  father's  sword,  which  his  mother  had 
preserved.  With  this  he  easily  splits  the  anvil  and 
cuts  in  two  a  flake  of  wool,  floating  down  the  Rhine. 
He  first  avenges  the  death  of  his  father,  and  then  sets 
off  with  Regin  to  attack  the  dragon  Fafnir.  At  the 
advice  of  the  former  Sigurd  digs  a  ditch  across  the 
dragon's  path  and  pierces  him  from  below  with  his 
sword,  as  the  latter  comes  down  to  drink.  In  dying 
the  dragon  warns  Sigurd  against  the  treasure  and  its 
curse,  and  against  Regin,  who,  he  says,  is  planning 

1  The  Thidreksaga  differs  from  the  other  Norse  versions  in  having 
Sigfrod,  as  he  is  called  here,  brought  up  in  ignorance  of  his  parents, 
a  trait  which  was  probably  borrowed  from  the  widespread  Genoveva 
story,  although  thought  by  some  to  have  been  an  original  feature  of 
our  legend. 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxl 

Sigurd's  death,  intending  to  obtain  the  treasure  for 
himself. 

When  Regin  sees  the  dragon  safely  dead,  he  creeps 
from  his  place  of  concealment,  drinks  of  the  blood, 
and,  cutting  out  the  heart,  begs  Sigurd  to  roast  it  for 
him.  While  doing  so,  Sigurd  burns  his  fingers,  and, 
putting  them  in  his  mouth,  understands  at  once  the 
language  of  the  birds  and  hears  them  say  that  Sigurd 
himself  should  eat  the  heart  and  then  he  would  be 
wiser  than  all  other  men.  They  also  betray  Regin's 
evil  designs,  and  counsel  the  lad  to  kill  his  tutor.  This 
Sigurd  then  does,  cutting  off  Regin's  head,  drinking 
the  blood  of  both  brothers,  and  eating  Fafnir's  heart.1 
On  the  further  advice  of  the  birds  Sigurd  first  fetches 
the  treasure  from  the  cave,  and  then  journeys  to  the 
mountain  Hind  arf jail,  where  he  rescues  the  sleeping 
Valkyrie,  Sigrdrifa  (BrynhUd,  Brunhild),  who,  stung 
by  the  sleep  thorn  of  Wodan,  and  clad  in  full  armor, 
lies  asleep  within  a  castle  that  is  surrounded  by  a 
wall  of  flame.  With  the  help  of  his  steed  Grani, 
Sigurd  succeeds  in  penetrating  through  the  fire  to  the 
castle.  The  sleeping  maiden  awakes  when  he  cuts  the 
armor  from  her  with  his  sword,  for  it  was  as  tight  as 
if  grown  fast  to  the  flesh.    She  hails  her  deliverer  with 

1  The  Thidreksaga,  which  has  forgotten  the  enmity  of  the  brothers, 
and  calls  Sigurd's  tutor  Mimr,  tells  the  episode  in  somewhat  different 
fashion.  The  brothers  plan  to  kill  Sigurd,  and  the  latter  is  attacked  by 
the  dragon,  while  burning  charcoal  in  the  forest.  After  killing  the 
monster  with  a  firebrand,  Sigurd  bathes  himself  in  the  blood  and  thus 
become  covered  with  a  horny  skin,  which  renders  bim  invulnerable, 
save  in  one  place  between  the  shoulder  blades,  which  he  could  not 
reach.  This  bathing  in  the  blood  is  also  related  in  the  Seyfrid  ballad 
and  in  the  Nibelungenlied,  with  the  difference,  that  the  vulnerable 
spot  is  caused  by  a  linden  leaf  falling  upon  him. 


xxii  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

great  joy,  for  she  had  vowed  never  to  marry  a  man 
who  knew  fear.  At  Sigurd's  request  she  teaehes  him 
many  wise  precepts,  and  finally  pledges  her  troth  to 
him.  He  then  departs,  after  promising  to  be  faithful 
to  her  and  to  remember  her  teachings. 

On  his  journey ings  Sigurd  soon  arrives  at  the  court 
of  Giuki  (the  Norse  form  of  the  German  Gibicho, 
GibicJi),  a  king  whose  court  lay  on  the  lower  Rhine. 
Giuki  has  three  sons,  Gunnar,  Hogni,  and  Gutthorm, 
and  a  daughter  Gudrun,  endowed  with  great  beauty. 
The  queen  bears  the  name  of  Grimhild,  and  is  versed 
in  magic,  but  possessed  of  an  e^oTTieart.1  Sigurd  is 
received  with  great  honor,  for  his  coining  had  been 
announced  to  Gudrun  in  dreams,  which  had  in  part 
been  interpreted  to  her  by  Brynhild.  The  mother, 
knowing  of  Sigurd's  relations  to  the  latter,  gives  him 
a  potion  which  produces  forgetfulness,  so  that  lie  no 
longer  remembers  his  betrothed,  and  accepts  the  hand 
of  Gudrun,  which  the  king  offers  him  at  the  queen's 
request.  The  marriage  is  celebrated  with  great  pomp, 
and  Sigurd  remains  permanently  attached  to  Giuki's 
court,  performing  with  the  others  many  deeds  of  valor. 

Meanwhile  Grimhild  urges  her  son  Gunnar  to  sue 
for  the  hand  of  Brynhild.  Taking  with  him  Sigurd 
and  a  few  others,  Gunnar  visits  first  Brynhild's  father 
Budli,  and  then  her  brother-in-law  Heimir,  from  both 
of  whom  he  learns  that  she  is  free  to  choose  whom  she 

1  The  fact  that  all  but  one  of  these  names  alliterate,  shows  that  the 
Norse  version  is  here  more  original.  Gunnar  is  the  same  as  Gunther 
(Gundaharius),  Hcigni  as  Hag-en  ;  Gutthorm  (Godomar)  appears  in 
the  German  version  as  Gemot.  In  this  latter  the  fatlirr  is  called 
Dancr.it,  the  mother  Uote,  and  the  name  Grimhild  is  transferred  from 
the  mother  to  the  daughter. 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxiii 

will,  but  that  she  will  marry  no  one  who  has  not  ridden 
through  the  wall  of  flame.  With  this  answer  they  pro- 
ceed to  Brynhild's  castle,  where  Gunnar  is  unable  to 
pierce  the  flames,  even  when  seated  on  Sigurd's  steed. 
Finally  Sigurd  and  Gunnar  change  forms,  and  Sigurd, 
disguised  as  Gunnar,  rides  through  the  wall  of  fire, 
announces  himself  to  Brynhild  as  Gimnar,  the  son  of 
Giuki,  and  reminds  her  of  her  promise  to  marry  the 
one  who  penetrated  the  fire.  Brynhild  consents  with 
great  reluctance,  for  she  is  busy  carrying  on  a  war 
with  a  neighboring  king.  Sigurd  then  passes  three 
nights  at  her  side,  placing,  however,  his  sword  Gram 
between  them,  as  a  bar  of  separation.  At  parting  he 
draws  from  her  finger  the  ring,  with  which  he  had 
originally  pledged  his  troth  to  her,  and  replaces  it 
with  another,  taken  from  Fafnir's  hoard.  Soon  after 
this  the  marriage  of  Gunnar  and  Brynhild  is  celebrated 
with  great  splendor,  and  all  return  to  Giuki's  court, 
where  they  live  happily  for  some  time. 

One  day,  however,  when  the  ladies  go  down  to  the 
river  to  take  a  bath,  Brynhild  will  not  bathe  further 
down  stream  than  Gudrun,  that  is,  in  the  water  which 
flows  from  Gudrun  to  her,1  giving  as  the  reason,  that 
her  father  was  mightier  and  her  husband  braver,  since 
he  had  ridden  through  the  fire,  while  Sigurd  had  been 
a  menial.  Stung  at  this,  Gudrun  retorts  that  not 
Gunnar  but  Sigurd  had  penetrated  the  flames  and 
had  taken  from  her  the  isdehA_rin^_Aiidvaranaut, 
which  she  then  shows  to  her  rival  in  proof  of  her  asser- 
tion. Brynhild  turns  deathly  pale,  but  answers  not  a 
word.  After  a  second  conversation  on  the  subject  had 

1  In  the  prose  Edda,  in  the  water  which  drips  from  Gudrun's  hair. 


xxiv  INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH 

increased  the  hatred  of  the  queens,  Brynhild  plans 
vengeance.  Pretending  to  be  ill,  she  takes  to  her  bed, 
and  when  Gunnar  inquires  what  ails  her,  she  asks  him 
if  he  remembers  the  circumstances  of  the  wooing  and 
that  not  he  but  Sigurd  had  penetrated  the  flames. 
She  attempts  to  take  Gunnar's  life,  as  she  had 
pledged  her  troth  to  Sigurd,  and  is  thereupon  placed 
in  chains  by  Hbgni.  Seven  days  she  sleeps,  and  no  one 
dares  to  wake  her.  Finally  Sigurd  succeeds  in  making 
her  talk,  and  she  tells  him  how  cruelly  she  has  been 
deceived,  that  the  better  man  had  been  destined  for 
her,  but  that  she  had  received  the  poorer  one.  This 
Sigurd  denies,  for  Giuki's  son  had  killed  the  king  of 
the  Danes  and  also  Budli's  brother,  a  great  warrior. 
Moreover,  although  he,  Sigurd,  had  ridden  through 
the  flames,  he  had  not  become  her  husband.  He  beers 
her  therefore  not  to  harbor  a  grudge  against  Gunnar. 
Brynhild  remains  unconvinced,  and  plans  Sigurd's 
death,  and  threatens  Gunnar  with  the  loss  of  dominion 
and  life,  if  he  will  not  kill  Sigurd.  After  some  hesita- 
tion, Gunnar  consents,  and,  calling  Hbgni,  informs  him 
that  he  must  kill  Sigurd,  in  order  to  obtain  the  trea- 
sure of  the  Rhinegold.  Hbgni  warns  him  against  break- 
ing his  oath  to  Sigurd,  when  it  occurs  to  Gunnar,  that 
his  brother  Gutthorm  had  sworn  no  oath  and  might 
do  the  deed.  Both  now  proceed  to  excite  the  latter's 
greed,  and  give  him  wolf's  and  snake  meat  to  eat  to 
make  him  savage.  Twice  Gutthorm  makes  the  at- 
tempt, as  Sigurd  lies  in  bed,  but  is  deterred  by  the 
latter's  penetrating  glance.  The  third  time  he  finds 
Sigurd  asleep,  and  pierces  him  with  his  sword.  Sigurd, 
awakening  at  the  pain,  hurls  his  own  sword  after  his 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH  xxv 

murderer,  fairly  cutting  him  in  two.  He  then  dies, 
protesting*  his  innocence  and  designating  Brynhild  as 
the  instigator  of  his  murder.  Brynhild  at  first  laughs 
aloud  at  Gudrun's  frantic  grief,  but  later  her  joy  turns 
into  sorrow,  and  she  determines  to  share  Sigurd's  death. 
In  vain  they  try  to  dissuade  her;  donning  her  gold 
corselet,  she  pierces  herself  with  a  sword  and  begs  to 
be  burned  on  Sigurd's  funeral  pyre.  In  dying  she 
prophesies  the  future,  telling  of  Gudrun's  marriage 
to  Atli  and  of  the  death  of  the  many  men  which  will 
be  caused  thereby. 

After  Brynhild's  death  Gudrun  in  her  sorrow  flees 
to  the  court  of  King  Half  of  Denmark,  where  she 
remains  se^en  years.  Finally  Grimhild  learns  of  the 
place  of  her  daughter's  concealment,  and  tries  to  bring 
about  a  reconciliation  with  Gunnar  and  Hogni.  They 
offer  her  much  treasure,  if  she  will  marry  Atli.  At 
first  she  refuses  and  thinks  only  of  revenge,  but  finally 
she  consents  and  the  marriage  is  celebrated  in  Atli's 
land.  After  a  time  Atli,  who  is  envious  of  Gunnar's 
riches,  for  the  latter  had  taken  possession  of  Sigurd's 
hoard,  invites  him  to  his  court.  A  man  named  Vmgi, 
who  was  sent  with  the  invitation,  changes  the  runes  of 
warning,  which  Gudrun  had  given  him,  so  that  they, 
too,  read  as  an  invitation.  The  brothers  determine  to 
accept  the  invitation,  and,  though  warned  by  many 
dreams,  they  set  out  for  Atli's  court,  which  they  reach 
in  due  time.  Vingi  now  breaks  forth  into  exultations, 
that  he  has  lured  them  into  a  snare,  and  is  slain  by 
Hogni  with  a  battle  axe. 

As  they  ride  to  the  king's  hall,  Atli  and  his  sons 
arm  themselves  for  battle,  and  demand  Sigurd's  trea- 


xxvi  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

sure,  which  belongs  by  right  to  Gudrun.  Gunnar  re- 
fuses to  surrender  it,  and  the  fight  begins,  after  some 
exchange  of  taunting  words.  Gudrun  tries  at  first  to 
reconcile  the  combatants,  but,  failing,  arms  herself  and 
fights  on  the  side  of  her  brothers.  The  battle  rages 
furiously  with  great  loss  on  both  sides,  until  nearly  all 
of  the  Nibelungs  are  killed,  when  Gunnar  and  Hijgni 
are  forced  to  yield  to  the  power  of  numbers  and  are 
captured  and  bound.  Gunnar  is  asked,  if  he  will  pur- 
chase his  life  with  the  treasure.  He  replies  that  he 
first  wishes  to  see  Hogni's  bleeding  heart.  At  -first  the 
heart  of  a  slave  is  cut  out  and  brought  to  him,  but 
Gunnar  recognizes  it  at  once  as  that  of  a  coward.  Then 
they  cut  out  Hogni's  heart,  who  laughs  at  the  pain. 
This  Gunnar  sees  is  the  right  one,  and  is  jubilant,  for 
now  Atli  shall  never  obtain  the  treasure,  as  Gunnar 
alone  knows  where  it  is  hid.  In  a  rage  Atli  orders 
Gunnar  to  be  thrown  to  the  snakes.  Though  his  hands 
are  bound,  Gunnar  plays  so  sweetly  with  his  toes  on 
the  harp,  which  Gudrun  has  sent  him,  that  all  the 
snakes  are  lulled  to  sleep,  with  the  exception  of  an 
adder,  which  stings  him  to  the  heart,  so  that  he  dies. 

Atli  now  walks  triumphantly  over  the  dead  bodies, 
and  remarks  to  Gudrun  that  she  alone  is  to  blame  for 
what  has  happened.  She  refuses  his  offers  of  peace  and 
reconciliation,  and  towards  evening  kills  her  two  sons 
Erp  and  KitiL,  and  serves  them  at  the  banquet,  which 
the  king  gives  for  his  retainers.  When  Atli  asks  for  his 
sons,  he  is  told  that  he  had  drunk  their  blood  mixed 
with  wine  and  had  eaten  their  hearts.  That  night  when 
Atli  is  asleep,  Gudrun  takes  Hogni's  son  Ifniflung, 
who  desires  to  avenge  his  father,  and  together  they 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH  xxvii 

enter  Atli's  room  and  thrust  a  sword  through  his  breast. 
Atli  awakes  from  the  pain,  only  to  be  told  by  Gudrun 
that  she  is  his  murderess.  When  he  reproaches  her 
with  thus  killing  her  husband,  she  answers  that  she 
cared  only  for  Sigurd.  Atli  now  asks  for  a  fitting 
burial,  and  on  receiving  the  promise  of  this,  expires. 
Gudrun  carries  out  her  promise,  and  burns  the  castle 
with  Atli  and  all  his  dead  retainers.  Other  Edda  son<rs 
relate  the  further  adventures  of  Gudrun,  but  they  do 
not  concern  us  here,  as  the  Nibelungenlied  stops  with 
the  death  of  the  Nibelnngs. 

This  in  brief  is  the  story  of  Siegfried,  as  it  has  been 
handed  down  to  us  in  the  Skandinavian  sources.  It  is 
universally  acknowledged  that  this  version,  though 
more  original  than  the  German  tradition,  does  not 
represent  the  simplest  and  most  original  form  of  the 
tale ;  but  what  the  original  form  was,  has  long  been 
and  still  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  Two  distinctly  opposite 
views  are  heldithe_.one  seeing  in  the  story  the  personi- 
fication of  the  forces  of  nature,  the  other,  scoutins'  the 
possibility  of  a  mythological  interpretation,  seeks  a 
purely  human  origin  for  the  tale,  namely,  a  quarrel 
among  relatives  for  the  possession  of  treasure.  The 
former  view  is  the  older,  and  obtained  almost  exclu- 
sively at  one  time.  The  latter  has  been  gaining  ground 
of  recent  years,  and  is  held  by  many  of  the  younger 
students  of  the  legend.  According  to  the  mythological 
view,  the  maiden  slumbering  upon  the  lonely  heights  is 
the  sun,  the  wall  of  flames  surrounding  her  the  morning- 
red  (Morgenrbte).  Siegfried  is  the  youthful  day  who 
is  destined  to  rouse  the  sun  from  her  slumber.  At  the 
appointed  time  he  ascends,  and  before  his  splendor  the 


xxviii  INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH 

morning  red  disappears.  He  awakens  the  maiden  ;  radi- 
antly the  sun  rises  from  its  couch  and  joyously  greets 
the  world  of  nature.   But  light  and  shade  are  indis- 
solubly  connected ;  day  changes  of  itself  into  night. 
When  at  evening  the  sun  sinks  to  rest  and  surrounds 
herself  once  more  with  a  wall  of  flames,  the  day  again 
approaches,  but  no  longer  in  the  youthful  form  of  the 
morning  to  arouse  her  from  her  slumber,  but  in  the 
sombre  shape  of  Gunther,  to  rest  at  her  side.  Day  has 
turned  into  night  ;  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  change 
of  forms.  The  wall  of  flame  vanishes,  day  and  sun  de- 
scend into  the  realm  of  darkness.  Under  this  aspect 
the  Siegfried  story  is  a  day  myth ;  but  under  another 
it  is  a  myth  of  the  year.  The  dragon  is  the  symbol  of 
winter,  the  dwarfs  of  darkness.  Siegfried  denotes  the 
bright  summer,  his  sword  the  sunbeams.  The  youthful 
year  grows  up  in  the  dark  days  of  winter.  When  its 
time  has  come,  it  goes  forth  triumphantly  and  destroys 
the  darkness  and  the  cold  of  winter.   Through  the  sym- 
bolization  the  abstractions  gain  form  and  become  per- 
sons ;  the  saga  is  thus  not  a  mere  allegory,  but  a  per- 
sonification of  nature's  forces.  The  treasure  may  have 
entered  the  saga  through  the  widespread  idea  of  the 
dragon  as  the  guardian  of  treasure,  or  it  may  represent 
the  beauty  of  nature  which  unfolds  when  the  season 
has  conquered.  In  the  last  act  of  the  saga,  Siegfried's 
death,  Wilmanns,  the  best  exponent  of  this  view,  sees 
again  a  symbolic  representation  of  a  process  of  nature. 
According  to  him  it  signifies  the  death  of  the  god  of 
the  year  in  winter.  In  the  spring  he  kills  the  dragon, 
in  the  winter  he  goes  weary  to  his  rest  and  is  foully 
slain  by  the  hostile  powers  of  darkness.  Later,  when 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxix 

this  act  was  connected  with  the  story  of  Gunther's 
wooing  Brunhild,  the  real  meaning  was  forgotten,  and 
Siegfried's  death  was  attributed  to  the  grief  and  jeal- 
ous3r  of  the  insulted  queen. 

Opposed  now  to  the  mythological  interpretation  is 
the  other  view  already  spoken  of,  which  denies  the  pos- 
sibility of  mythological  features,  and  does  not  seek  to 
trace  the  legend  beyond  the  heroic  stage.  The  best 
exponent  of  this  view  is  R.  C.  Boer,  who  has  made  a 
remarkable  attempt  to  resolve  the  story  into  its  sim- 
plest constituents.  According  to  him  the  nucleus  of 
the  legend  is  an  old  story  of  the  murder  of  relatives 
(  Verwandtenmord~),  the  original  form  being  perhaps 
as  follows.  Attila  (i.  e.,  the  enemy  of  Hagen  under 
any  name)  is  married  to  Hagen' s  sister  Grimhild  or 
Gudrun.  He  invites  his  brother-in-law  to  his  house, 
attacks  him  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  his  treasure,  and 
kills  him.  According  to  this  view  Hagen  was  origi- 
nally the  king,  but  later  sinks  to  a  subordinate  posi- 
tion through  the  subsequent  connection  of  the  story 
with  the  Burgundians.  It  is  of  course  useless  to  hunt 
for  the  date  of  such  an  episode  in  history.  Such  a 
murder  could  have  frequently  occurred,  and  can  be 
localized  anywhere.  Very  early  we  find  this  Hagen 
story  united  with  the  Siegfried  legend.  If  the  latter  is 
mythological,  then  we  have  a  heterogeneous  combina- 
tion, a  mythical  legend  grafted  on  a  purely  human 
one.  This  Boer  thinks  unlikely,  and  presents  a  num- 
ber of  arguments  to  disprove  the  mythical  character  of 
the  Siegfried  story,  into  which  we  cannot  enter  here. 
He  comes,  however,  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  Sieg- 
fried  tale    is    likewise    purely  human,   and  consisted 


XXX 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 


originally  of  the  murder  of  relatives,  that  is,  a  repeti- 
tion   of    the    Hagen    tale.    Siegfried    is    married    to 
Hagen's   sister,   and   is   killed    by  his   brother-in-law 
because  of  his  treasure.    The  kernel  of  the  legend  is, 
therefore,  the  enmity  between  relatives,  which  exists 
in  two  forms,  the  one  in  which  the  son-in-law  kills  his 
father-in-law,  as  in  the  Helgi  saga,  the  other  in  which 
Hagen  kills  his  son-in-law  and  is  killed  by  him,  too, 
as  in  the  Hilde  saga.  The  German  tradition  tries  to 
combine  the  two  by  introducing  the  new  feature,  that 
Kriemhild  causes  the  death  of  her  relatives,  in  order 
to  avenge  her  first  husband.  Boer  is  of  the  opinion 
that  both  the  Norse  and  the  German  versions  have 
forgotten  the  original  connection  between  the  two  sto- 
ries,  and  that  this  connection  was  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  the  common  motive  of  the  treasure.  The  same 
treasure,  which  causes   Hagen  to   murder   Siegfried, 
causes  his  own  death  in  turn  through  the  greed  of 
Attila.    There  was  originally,  according  to   Boer,  no 
question  of  revenge,  except  the  revenge  of  fate,  the 
retribution  which  overtakes  the  criminal.  This  feeling 
for  the  irony  of  fate  was  lost  when  the  motive,  that 
Hao-en  kills   Siegfried  because  of    his  treasure,  was 
replaced  by  the  one  that  he  does  it  at  the  request  of 
Brunhild.   This    leads    Boer   to   the    conclusion,  that 
Brunhild  did   not  originally  belong  to  the  Siegfried 
story,  but   to   the  well-known  fairy  tale  of   Sleeping 
Beauty    (Erlosungsmarcheii),    which    occurs    in    a 
variety  of  forms.  The  type  is  that  of  a  hero  who  res- 
cues a  maiden  from  a  magic  charm,  which  may  take 
the  form  of  a  deep  sleep,  as  in  the  case  of  Sleeping 
Beauty,  or  of  being  sewed  into  a  garment,  as  in  No. 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxxi 

111  of  Grimm's  fairy  tales.  By  the  union  of  the  two 
stories,  i.  e.,  the  Hagen-Siegfried  saga  with  the  Sleep- 
ing Beauty  tale,  Siegfried  stands  in  relation  to  two 
women ;  on  the  one  hand  his  relation  to  Sigrdrifa- 
Brynhild,  the  maiden  whom  he  rescues  on  the  rock,  on 
the  other  his  marriage  with  Grimhild-Gudrun  and  his 
consequent  death.  This  twofold  relation  had  to  be  dis- 
posed of,  and  since  his  connection  with  Grimhild  was 
decisive  for  his  fate,  his  relation  to  Brunhild  had  to 
be  changed.  It  could  not  be  entirely  ignored,  for  it 
was  too  well  known,  therefore  it  was  given  a  different 
interpretation.  Siegfried  still  rescues  a  maiden  from 
the  rock,  not  for  himself,  however,  but  for  another. 
The  exchange  of  forms  on  the  part  of  Siegfried  and 
Gunther  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  older  form.  It  gives 
the  impression,  that  Siegfried,  and  yet  not  Siegfried, 
won  the  bride.  This  alteration  probably  took  place 
when  the  Burgundians  were  introduced  into  the 
legend.  With  this  introduction  an  unlocalized  saga  of 
unknown  heroes  of  ancient  times  became  one  of  events 
of  world-wide  importance ;  the  fall  of  a  mighty  race 
was  depicted  as  the  result  of  Siegfried's  death.  To 
render  this  plausible,  it  was  necessary  on  the  one  hand 
to  idealize  the  hero,  so  that  his  death  should  appear  as 
a  deed  of  horror  demanding  fearful  vengeance,  and  on 
the  other,  to  make  the  king  of  the  Burgundians  an  ac- 
tive participator  in  Siegfried's  death,  for  otherwise  it 
would  not  seem  natural,  that  the  whole  race  should  be 
exterminated  for  a  crime  committed  by  the  king's 
brother  or  vassal.  As  the  role  of  Brunhild's  husband 
had  become  vacant,  and  as  Gunther  had  no  special 
role,  it  was  natural  that  it  should  be  given   to  him. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

Boer  traces  very  ingeniously  the  gradual  development 
of  this  exchange  of  roles  through  the  various  sources. 

Another  method  of  explaining  away  Siegfried's  rela- 
tion to  two  women  is  to  identify  them,  and  this  has  been 
done  by  the  Seyfrid  ballad.  Here  the  hero  rescues 
Kriemhild  from  the  power  of  the  dragon,  marries  her, 
and  then  is  later  killed  by  her  brothers  through  envy 
and  hatred.  As  Brunhild  and  Kriemhild  are  here  united 
in  one  person,  there  is  no  need  of  a  wooing  for  the 
king,  nor  of  vengeance  on  the  part  of  Brunhild,  accord- 
ingly the  old  motive  of  greed  (here  envy)  reappears. 

As  to  the  fight  with  the  dragon,  Boer  believes  that 
it  did  not  originally  belong  to  the  saga,  for  in  none  of 
the  sources  except  the  popular  ballad  is  the  fight  with 
the  dragon  connected  with  the  release  of  Brunhild.  If 
the  Siegfried-Hagen  story  is  purely  human,  then  the 
dragon  cannot  have  originally  belonged  to  it,  but  was 
later  introduced,  because  of  the  widespread  belief  in 
the  dragon  as  the  guardian  of  treasure,  and  in  order  to 
answer  the  question  as  to  the  provenience  of  the  hoard. 
This  is,  however,  only  one  answer  to  the  question.  An- 
other, widespread  in  German  legends,  is  that  the  trea- 
sure comes  from  the  Nibelungs,  that  is,  from  the  dwarfs. 
Many  identify  the  dwarfs  and  the  dragon,  but  this  finds 
no  support  in  the  sources,  for  here  the  dwarfs  and  Faf- 
nir  are  never  confused.  The  Nibelungenlied  describes 
an  adventure  with  each,  but  the  treasure  is  only  con- 
nected with  the  dwarfs.  The  Thidreksaga  knows  only 
the  dragon  fight  but  not  the  dwarfs,  as  is  likewise  the 
case  with  the  Seyfrid  ballad.  Only  in  the  Norse  sources 
do  we  find  a  contamination.  The  story  of  Hreithmar 
and  his  sons,  who  quarrel  about  the  treasure,  resem- 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxxiii 

bles  that  of  Schilbung  and  Nibelung  in  the  Nibelung- 
enlied,  and  probably  has  the  same  source.  One  of  the 
sons,  because  of  his  guarding  the  treasure,  is  identified 
with  the  dragon,  and  so  we  read  that  Fafnir  becomes 
a  dragon,  after  gaining  the  treasure.  Originally,  how- 
ever, he  was  not  a  dragon,  but  a  dwarf.  These  two  in- 
dependent forms  can  be  geographically  localized.  The 
dwarf  legend  is  the  more  southern ;  it  is  told  in  detail 
in  the  Nibelung enlied.  The  dragon  legend  probably 
originated  in  the  Cimbrian  peninsula,  where  the  Beo- 
wxdf  saga,  in  which  the  dragon  fight  plays  such  an 
important  part,  likewise  arose. 

There  thus  stand  sharply  opposed  to  each  other  two 
theories,  one  seeing  in  the  Siegfried  saga  a  personifi- 
cation of  natural  forces,  the  other  tracing  it  back  to  a 
purely  human  story  of  murder  through  greed.  It  may 
be,  that  the  true  form  of  the  original  saga  lies  half  way 
between  these  two  views.  The  story  of  the  fall  of  the 
Nibelungs,  that  is,  their  killing  at  Etzel's  court,  may 
go  back  to  the  tale  of  the  murder  of  relatives  for  money. 
On  the  other  hand  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  Siesr- 
fried  saga  is  nothing  but  a  repetition  of  the  Attila  mo- 
tive, for  this  is  too  brief  a  formula  to  which  to  reduce 
the  long  legend  of  Siegfried,  with  its  many  deeds.  Even 
if  we  discard  the  mythological  interpretation,  it  is  the 
tale  of  a  daring  hero,  who  is  brought  up  in  the  woods 
by  a  cunning  dwarf.  He  kills  a  dragon  and  takes  pos- 
session of  his  hoard,  then  rescues  a  maiden,  imprisoned 
upon  a  mountain,  as  in  the  older  Norse  version  and  the 
popular  ballad,  or  in  a  tower,  as  in  the  Thidreksaga, 
and  surrounded  either  by  a  wall  of  fire,  as  in  the 
Norse,  or  by  a  large  body  of  water,  as  in  the  Nibelung- 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH 

enlied.  After  betrothing  himself  to  the  maiden,  he  sets 
forth  in  search  of  further  adventures,  and  falls  into  the 
power  of  an  evil  race,  who  by  their  magic  arts  lure  him 
to  them,  cause  his  destruction,  and  then  obtain  his 
treasure  and  the  maiden  for  themselves.  By  her  very 
name  Sigrdrifa  belongs  to  Siegfried,  just  as  Gunther 
and  Gudrun-Grimhild  belong  together,  and  it  seems 
hardly  possible  that  she  should  have  entered  the 
story  later,  as  Boer  would  have  us  believe.  After  all, 
it  is  largely  a  matter  of  belief,  for  it  is  impossible  to 
prove  positively  that  mythical  elements  did  or  did  not 
exist  in  the  original. 

To  the  combined  Siegfried-Nibelung  story  various 
historical  elements  were  added  during  the  fifth  century. 
At  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  Franks  were  lo- 
cated on  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  from  Coblenz 
downward.  Further  up  the  river,  that  is,  to  the  south, 
the  Burgundians  had  established  a  kingdom  in  what  is 
now  the  Rhenish  Palatinate,  their  capital  being  Worms 
and  their  king  Gundahar,  or  Gundicarius,  as  the  Ro- 
mans called  him.  For  twenty  years  the  Burgundians 
lived  on  good  terms  with  the  surrounding  nations. 
Then,  growing  bolder,  they  suddenly  rose  against  the 
Romans  in  the  year  436,  but  the  rebellion  was  quickly 
suppressed  by  the  Roman  general  Aetius.  Though 
defeated,  the  Burgundians  were  not  subdued,  and  the 
very  next  year  they  broke  their  oaths  and  again  sought 
to  throw  off  the  Roman  yoke.  This  time  the  Romans 
called  to  their  aid  the  hordes  of  Huns,  who  had  been 
growing  rapidly  in  power  and  were  already  pressing  hard 
upon  the  German  nations  from  the  east.  Only  too  glad 
for  an  excuse,  the  Huns  poured  into  the  land  in  great 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxxv 

numbers  and  practically  swept  the  Burgundian  people 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  According  to  the  Roman 
historians,  twenty  thousand  Burgundians  were  slain  in 
this  great  battle  of  the  Catalaunian  Fields.  Naturally 
this  catastrophe,  in  which  a  whole  German  nation  fell 
before  the  hordes  of  invading  barbarians,  produced  a 
profound  impression  upon  the  Teutonic  world.  The 
King  Gundahar,  the  Gunther  of  the  Nibelungenlied, 
who  also  fell  in  the  battle,  became  the  central  figure  of 
a  new  legend,  namely,  the  story  of  the  fall  of  the 
Burgundians. 

Attila  is  not  thought  to  have  taken  part  in  the  in- 
vasion, still,  after  his  death  in  454,  his  name  gradually 
came  to  be  associated  with  the  slaughter  of  the  Bur- 
gundians, for  a  legend  operates  mainly  with  types,  and 
as  Attila  was  a  Hun  and  throughout  the  Middle  Ages 
was  looked  upon  as  the  type  of  a  cruel  tyrant,  greedy 
for  conquest,  it  was  but  natural  for  him  to  play  the 
role  assigned  to  him  in  the  legend.  Quite  plausible  is 
Boer's  explanation  of  the  entrance  of  Attila  into  the 
legend.  The  T/iidreksaga  locates  him  in  Soest  in 
Westphalia.  Now  this  province  once  bore  the  name  of 
Hundhiud,  and  by  a  natural  confusion,  because  of  the 
similarity  of  the  names,  Hiina  and  Huns,  Attila,  who 
is  the  chief  representative  of  Hunnish  power,  was 
connected  with  the  legend  and  located  at  Soest.  This 
would  show  that  the  original  extension  of  the  legend 
was  slight,  as  Xanten,  the  home  of  Hagen,  is  but 
seventy  miles  from  Soest.  The  original  form  would  then 
be  that  Hagen  was  slain  by  a  king  of  Hunaland,  then 
because  history  relates  that  the  Burgundians  were  slain 
by  the  Huns,  the  similarity  of  the  names  led  to  the  in- 


xxxvi  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

traduction  of  Attila  and  the  identification  of  the  Nibe- 
lungs  with  the  Burgundians.  The  fact,  too,  that  the 
Franks  rapidly  took  possession  of  the  district  depopu- 
lated by  the  crushing  defeat  of  the  Burgundians  like- 
wise aided  the  confusion,  and  thus  the  Franks  became 
the  natural  heirs  of  the  legend  concerning  the  death  of 
Gunther,  and  so  we  read  of  the  fall  of  the  Nibelungs, 
a  name  that  is  wholly  Frankish  in  character.  This 
identification  led  also  to  Attila's  being  considered  the 
avenger  of  Siegfried's  death.  Poetic  justice,  however, 
demands  that  the  slaughter  of  the  Burgundians  at  the 
hands  of  Attila  be  also  avenged.  The  rumor,  that  At- 
tila's death  was  not  natural,  but  that  he  had  been  mur- 
dered by  his  wife  Ildico  (Hildiko},  gave  the  necessary 
features  to  round  out  the  story.  As  Kriemhild  was  the 
sister  of  the  Burgundian  kings,  it  was  but  natural  to 
explain  her  killing  of  Attila,  as  described  in  the  Norse 
versions,  by  her  desire  to  avenge  her  brothers. 

In  our  Nibelungenlied,  however,  it  is  no  longer  At- 
tila, but  Kriemhild,  who  is  the  central  figure  of  the 
tragedy.  Etzel,  as  he  is  called  here,  has  sunk  to  the 
insignificant  role  of  a  stage  king,  a  perfectly  passive 
observer  of  the  fight  raging  around  him.  This  change 
was  brought  about  perhaps  by  the  introduction  of  Die- 
trich of  Berne,  the  most  imposing  figure  of  all  Ger- 
manic heroic  lore.  The  necessity  of  providing  him  with 
a  role  corresponding  to  his  importance,  coupled  with 
a  growing  repugnance  on  the  part  of  the  proud  Franks 
to  acknowledge  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  Huns,  caused 
the  person  of  Attila  to  dwindle  in  importance.  Gradu- 
ally, too,  the  role  played  by  Kriemhild  was  totally 
changed.  Instead  of  being  the  avenger  of  her  brothers, 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxxvii 

as  depicted  in  the  Norse  versions,  she  herself  becomes 
the  cause  of  their  destruction.  Etzel  is  not  only  inno- 
cent of  any  desire  to  harm  the  Nibelungs,  but  is  even 
ignorant  of  the  revenge  planned  by  his  wife.  This 
change  in  her  role  was  probably  due  to  the  feeling 
that  it  was  incumbent  upon  her  to  avenge  the  murder 
of  Siegfried. 

Our  Nibelungenlied  knows  but  little  of  the  advent- 
ures of  Siegfried's  youth  as  depicted  in  the  Norse  ver- 
sions. The  theme  of  the  poem  is  no  longer  the  love  of 
Sigurd,  the  homeless  wanderer,  for  the  majestic  Val- 
kyrie Brunhild,  but  the  love  idyll  of  Siegfried,  the 
son  of  the  king  of  the  Netherlands,  and  the  dainty  Bur- 
gundian  princess  Kriemhild.  The  poem  has  forgotten 
Siegfried's  connection  with  Brunhild ;  it  knows  nothing 
of  his  penetrating  the  wall  of  flames  to  awake  aud  rescue 
her,  nothing  of  the  betrothal  of  the  two.  In  our  poem 
Siegfried  is  carefully  reared  at  his  father's  court  in 
the  Netherlands,  and  sets  out  with  great  pomp  for  the 
court  of  the  Burgundians.  In  the  Norse  version  he 
naturally  remains  at  Gunther's  court  after  his  mar- 
riage, but  in  our  poem  he  returns  to  the  Netherlands 
with  his  bride.  This  necessitates  the  introduction  of 
several  new  scenes  to  depict  his  arrival  home,  the  in- 
vitation to  the  feast  at  Worms,  and  the  reception  of 
the  guests  on  the  part  of  the  Burgundians. 

In  the  Nibelungenlied  the  athletic  sports,  as  an 
obstacle  to  the  winning  of  Brunhild,  take  the  place  of 
the  wall  of  flames  of  the  older  Norse  versions.  Sieg- 
fried and  Gunther  no  longer  change  forms,  but  Sieg- 
fried dons  the  Tamkappe,  which  renders  him  invisi- 
ble, so  that  while  Gunther  makes  the  motions,  Siegfried 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

really  does  the  work,  a  thing  which  is  rather  difficult 
to  imagine.  The  quarrel  of  the  two  queens  is  likewise 
very  differently  depicted  in  the  Nibelungenlied  from 
what  it  is  in  the  Norse  version.  In  the  latter  it  takes 
place  while  the  ladies  are  bathing  in  the  river,  and  is 
brought  on  by  the  arrogance  of  Brunhild,  who  refuses 
to  stand  lower  down  the  stream  and  bathe  in  the  water 
flowing  from  Gudrun  to  her.  In  the  Thidrehsaga  it 
occurs  in  the  seclusion  of  the  ladies'  apartments,  but 
in  our  poem  it  culminates  in  front  of  the  cathedral  be- 
fore the  assembled  court,  and  requires  as  its  back- 
ground all  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  medieval  chiv- 
alry. With  a  master  hand  and  a  wonderful  knowledge 
of  female  character,  the  author  depicts  the  gradual 
progress  of  the  quarrel  until  it  terminates  in  a  mag- 
nificent scene  of  wounded  pride  and  malignant  hatred. 
Kriemhild,  as  usual,  plays  the  more  important  part, 
and,  while  standing  up  for  her  rights,  tries  in  every 
way  to  conciliate  Brunhild  and  not  to  hurt  her  feel- 
ings. At  last,  however,  stung  by  the  taunts  of  the 
latter,  she  in  turn  loses  her  patience,  bursts  out  with 
the  whole  story  of  the  twofold  deception  to  which 
Brunhild  has  been  subjected,  and  then  triumphantly 
sweeps  into  the  church,  leaving  her  rival  stunned  and 
humiliated  by  the  news  she  has  heard.  In  the  Norse 
tradition  the  scene  serves  merely  to  enlighten  Brunhild 
as  to  the  deception  played  upon  her.  In  the  Nibelung- 
enlied it  becomes  the  real  cause  of  Siegfried's  death, 
for  Brunhild  plans  to  kill  Siegfried  to  avenge  the 
public  slight  done  to  her.  She  has  no  other  reason,  as 
Siegfried  swears  that  there  had  been  no  deception. 
Brunhild  appeals  to  us  much  less  in  the  Nibelungenlied 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xxxix 

than  in  the  Norse  version.  In  the  latter  she  feels  her- 
self deeply  wronged  by  Siegfried's  faithlessness,  and 
resolves  on  his  death  because  she  will  not  be  the  wife 
of  two  men.  In  our  poem  she  has  no  reason  for  wish- 
ing his  death  except  her  wounded  pride.  In  the  Nibe- 
lungenlied,  too,  she  disappears  from  view  after  Sieg- 
fried's death,  whereas  in  the  Norse  tradition  she  as- 
cends his  funeral  pyre  and  dies  at  his  side. 

The  circumstances  of  Siegfried's  death  are  likewise 
totally  different  in  the  two  versions.  In  the  Norse,  as 
we  have  seen,  he  is  murdered  while  asleep  in  bed,  by 
Gunnar's  younger  brother  Gutthorm.  In  our  poem 
he  is  killed  by  Hagen,  while  bending  over  a  spring  to 
drink.  This  is  preceded  by  a  scene  in  which  Hagen 
treacherously  induces  Kriemhild  to  mark  the  one  vul- 
nerable spot  on  Siegfried's  body,  on  the  plea  of  pro- 
tecting him.  This  deepens  the  tragedy,  and  renders 
Kriemhild's  misery  and  self-reproaches  the  greater. 
After  Siegfried's  burial  his  father,  who  had  also  come 
to  Worms  with  his  son,  vainly  endeavors  to  persuade 
Kriemhild  to  return  with  him  to  the  Netherlands.  Her 
refusal  is  unnatural  in  the  extreme,  for  she  had  reigned 
there  ten  years  or  more  with  Siegfried,  and  had  left 
her  little  son  behind,  and  yet  she  relinquishes  all  this 
and  remains  with  her  brothers,  whom  she  knows  to  be 
the  murderers  of  her  husband.  This  is  evidently  a 
reminiscence  of  an  earlier  form  in  which  Siegfried  was 
a  homeless  adventurer,  as  in  the  Thidreksaga. 

The  second  half  of  the  tale,  the  destruction  of  the 
Nibelungs,  is  treated  of  very  briefly  in  the  early 
Norse  versions,  but  the  Nibelungenlied,  which  knows 
so  little  of  Siegfried's  youth,  has  developed  and  en- 


si  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

larged  upon  the  story,  until  it  overshadows  the  first 
part  in  length  and  importance  and  gives  the  name  to 
the  whole  poem.  The  main  difference  between  the  two 
versions  is  that  in  the  older  Norse  tradition  it  is  Attila 
who  invites  the  Nibelungs  to  his  court  and   attacks 
them  in  order  to  gain  possession  of  the  treasure,  while 
Gudrun  (Kriemhild)  first  tries  to  reconcile  the  war- 
ring parties,  and,  not  succeeding  in  this,  snatches  up  a 
sword  and  fights  on  the  side  of  her  brothers  and  later 
kills  her  husband  as  an  act  of  revenge.   In  the  Thi- 
drehsaga  and  the  Nibelungenlied,  however,  she  is  the 
instigator  of  the  fight  and  the  cause  of  her  brothers' 
death,  and  finally  suffers  death  herself  at  the  hands  of 
Master  Hildebrand,  who  is  furious  that  such    noble 
heroes  should  fall  at   a  woman's  hand.  The   second 
part  of  the  poem  is  grewsome  reading  at  best,  with  its 
weltering  corpses  and  torrents  of  blood.  The  horror  is 
relieved  only  by  the  grim  humor  of  Hagen  and  by  the 
charming  scene  at  Riideger's  court,  where  the  young 
prince   Giselher  is  betrothed    to   Riideger's  daughter. 
Riideger  is  without  doubt  the  most  tragic  figure  of 
this  part.  He  is  bound  on  the  one  hand  by  his  oath  of 
allegiance  to  Kriemhild  and  on  the  other  by  ties  of 
friendship  to  the  Burgundians.   His  agony  of  mind  at 
the  dilemma  in  which  Kriemhild's  command  to  attack 
the   Burgundians  places  him  is  pitiful.  Divided  be- 
tween love  and  duty,  the  conviction  that  he  must  ful- 
fill his  vow,  cost  what  it  may,  gradually  forces  itself 
upon  him  and  he  rushes  to  his  death  in  combat  with 
his  dearest  friends. 

Towering  above   all  others  in  its  gloomy  grandeur 
stands  the  figure  of  Hagen,  the  real  hero  of  the  second 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xli 

half  of  the  poem.  Fully  aware  that  he  is  going  to  his 
death,  he  nevertheless  scorns  to  desert  his  compan- 
ions-in-arms,  and  awaits  the  fate  in  store  for  him  with 
a  stoicism  that  would  do  honor  to  a  Spartan.  He 
calmly  accepts  the  consequences  of  his  crime,  and  to 
the  last  mocks  and  scoffs  at  Kriemhild,  until  her  fury 
knows  no  bounds.  No  character  shows  so  little  the 
refining  influences  of  Christianity  as  does  his.  In  all 
essential  respects  he  is  still  the  same  old  gigantic 
Teuton,  who  meets  us  in  the  earliest  forms  of  the 
legend. 

As  to  the  various  minor  characters,  many  of  which 
appear  only  in  the  Nibelungenlled,  space  will  not 
permit  of  their  discussion  here,  although  they  will  be 
treated  of  briefly  in  the  notes.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
the  Nibelungenlled  has  introduced  a  number  of  effec- 
tive scenes  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  some  of  them, 
especially  Folker  and  Dankwart,  into  prominence. 
Among  the  best  of  these  are,  first,  the  night  watch,  when 
Folker  first  plays  the  Burgundians  to  sleep  with  his 
violin,  and  then  stands  guard  with  Hagen,  thr.s  pre- 
venting the  surprise  planned  by  Kriemhild ;  further,  the 
visit  to  the  church  on  the  following  morning,  when 
the  men  of  both  parties  clash ;  and  lastly  the  tourna- 
ment between  the  Huns  and  the  Burgundians,  which 
gives  the  author  an  excellent  chance  to  show  the  prow- 
ess of  the  various  heroes. 

Let  us  pass  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  strophic 
form  of  the  Nibelungenlled.  The  two  Danish  ballads 
of  GrimhikTs  Revenge  (Grim/tiki's  Haevri),  which 
are  based  upon  the  first  combination  of  the  Low 
German,    L   e.,   Saxon,  and   the   Rhenish    traditions, 


xlii  INTRODUCTORY  SKETCH 

prove  that  the  strophe  is  considerably  older  than  the 
preserved  redactions  of  our  poem,  and  that  it  was 
probably  of  Saxon  origin.  The  metrical  form  goes 
back  most  probably  to  the  four-accented  verse  of 
the  poet  Otfrid  of  the  ninth  century,  although  some 
have  thought  that  Latin  hymns,  others  that  tht 
French  epic  verse,  may  have  been  of  influence.  The 
direct  derivation  from  Otfrid  seems,  however,  the  most 
plausible,  as  it  accounts  for  the  importance  of  the 
caesura,  which  generally  marks  a  pause  in  the  sense, 
as  well  as  in  the  verse,  and  also  for  its  masculine  end- 
ing. The  JVibchmgen  strophe  consists  of  four  long 
lines  separated  by  a  caesura  into  two  distinct  halves. 
The  first  half  of  each  line  contains  four  accents,  the 
fourth  falling  upon  the  last  syllable.  This  last  stress, 
however,  is  not  as  a  rule  as  strong  as  the  others,  the 
effect  being  somewhat  like  that  of  a  feminine  ending. 
On  this  account  some  speak  of  three  accents  in  the 
first  half  line,  with  a  feminine  ending.  The  fourth 
stress  is,  however,  too  strong  to  be  thus  disregarded, 
but  because  of  its  lighter  character  is  best  marked 
with  a  grave  accent.  The  second  half  of  each  line  ends 
in  a  masculine  rhyme.  The  first  three  lines  have  each 
three  stresses  in  the  second  half,  while  the  second  half 
of  the  fourth  line  has  four  accents  to  mark  the  end 
of  the  strophe.  This  longer  fourth  line  is  one  of  the 
most  marked  chai-acteristics  of  the  Nibelungen  strophe. 
The  rhymes  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  a,  a,  b,  b, 
though  in  a  few  isolated  cases  near  the  end  of  the 
poem  but  one  rhyme  is  used  throughout  the  strophe. 

The  opening  lines   of  the  poem   may  serve  to  il- 
lustrate the  strophic  form  and  scansion,  and  at  the 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xliii 

same  time  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  Middle 
High  German  language  in  which  the  poem  is  written : 

Uns  1st  in  alten  maeren     wiinders  vfl  gese"it 

von  heleden  lobebaeren,      von  gro'zer  arebe"it, 

von  froiide  und  ho'chgezi'ten,     von  we"inen  und  von  klagen, 

von  kiidner  re'cken  stri'ten    muget  fr  nu  wunder  hderen  sagen. 

Ez  wiiochs  in  Biirgonden     ein  e"del  magedi'n, 
dtiz  in  alien  Linden     niht  schoeners  mdhte  si'n, 
Kr'iemhilt  geheizen  ;     si  wart  ein  scdene  wi'p. 
dariunbe  miiosen  de"gene     vfl  verliesen  den  li'p. 

Der  minneeli'chen  me'ide     triuten  w6l  gezam. 
ir  muotten  kiie'ne  re'cken,     nie'men  wiis  ir  gram, 
a'ne  ma'zen  schoene     so  was  ir  ddel  li'p  ; 
der  iuncvrouvven  tiigende     zierten  ande'riu  wi'p. 

Ir  pfla'gen  drid  kii'nege     e'del  linde  ri'ch, 

Gunther  linde  Ge'rnot',     die  re'cken  lobeli'ch, 

und  Gi'selhe'r  der  hinge,     ein  u'z  erwelter  de"gen. 

diu  frduwe  was  ir  swe'ster,     die  fii'rsten  he'tens  m  ir  pfldgen. 

Die  he'rren  waren  unite,     von  arde  hoh'e  erbdrn, 
mit  kraft  unma'zen  kiie'ne,     die  re'cken  u'z  erkdrn. 
da'zen  Biirgonden     so  wa's  ir  la'nt  genant. 
si  friimden  starkiu  wunder     si't  in  Etzdlen  lant. 

Ze  Wormze  bi'  dem  Ri'ne     si  wdnden  mft  ir  kraft. 

in  die'nde  von  ir  landen     stdlziu  rfttersc'aft 

mit  ldbeli'chen  e'ren     unz  an  ir  e'ndes  zi't. 

si't  stiirben  si  iadmeiU'cbe     von  zwe"ier  ddelen  frduwen  ni't. 

Some  of  the  final  rhymes  with  proper  names,  such 
as  lingerie :  degene  (str.  84)  or  lingerie :  tragene 
(  str.  300)  appear  to  be  feminine,  hut  it  is  really  the 
final  e  that  rhymes,  and  a  scansion  of  the  line  in  ques- 
tion  shows  that  the  three  accents  are  not  complete 


xliv  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

without  this  final  e.  In  this  respect  our  poem  differs 
from  most  of  the  Middle  High  German  poems,  as  this 
practice  of  using  the  final  e  in  rhyme  began  to  die 
out  in  the  twelfth  century,  though  occasionally  found 
throughout  the  period.  The  rhymes  are,  as  a  rule, 
quite  exact,  the  few  cases  of  impure  rhymes  being 
mainly  those  in  which  short  and  long  vowels  are  rhymed 
together,  e.  g.  mich:  rich  or  man:  han.  Caesural  rhymes 
are  frequently  met  with,  and  were  considered  by  Lach- 
mann  to  be  the  marks  of  interpolated  strophes,  a  view 
no  longer  held.  A  further  peculiarity  of  the  Nibehingen 
strophe  is  the  frequent  omission  of  the  unaccented 
syllable  in  the  second  half  of  the  last  line  of  the  strophe 
between  the  second  and  third  stresses.  Examples  of 
this  will  be  found  in  the  second,  third,  and  fifth 
strophes  of  the  passage  given  above. 

The  language  of  the  Nibelungenlied  is  the  so-called 
Middle  High  German,  that  is,  the  High  German  writ- 
ten and  spoken  in  the  period  between  1100  and  1500, 
the  language  of  the  great  romances  of  chivalry  and  of 
the  Minnesingers.  More  exactly,  the  poem  is  written 
in  the  Austrian  dialect  of  the  close  of  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury, but  contains  many  archaisms,  which  point  to  the 
fact  of  its  having  undergone  a  number  of  revisions. 

In  closing  this  brief  study  of  the  Nibelungenlied, 
just  a  word  or  two  further  with  reference  to  the  poem, 
its  character,  and  its  place  in  German  literature.  Its 
theme  is  the  ancient  Teutonic  ideal  of  Treue  (faithful- 
ness or  fidelity),  which  has  found  here  its  most  magni- 
ficent portrayal ;  faithfulness  unto  death,  the  loyalty 
of  the  vassal  for  his  lord,  as  depicted  in  Hagen,  the 
fidelity  of  the   wife  for   her   husband,  as  shown   by 


INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH  xlv 

Kriemhild,  carried  out  with  unhesitating  consistency 
to  the  bitter  end.  This  is  not  the  gallantry  of  me- 
dieval chivalry,  which  colors  so  largely  the  opening 
scenes  of  the  poem,  but  the  heroic  valor,  the  death-de- 
spising stoicism  of  the  ancient  Germans,  before  which 
the  masters  of  the  world,  the  all-conquering  Romans, 
were  compelled  to  bow. 

In  so  far  as  the  Nibeluiigenlied  has  forgotten  most 
of  the  history  of  the  youthful  Siegfried,  and  knows 
nothing  of  his  love  for  Brunhild,  it  is  a  torso,  but  so 
grand  withal,  that  one  hardly  regrets  the  loss  of  these 
integral  elements  of  the  old  saga.  As  it  is  a  working 
over  of  originally  separate  lays,  it  is  not  entirely  homo- 
geneous, and  contains  not  a  few  contradictions.  In 
spite  of  these  faults,  however,  which  a  close  study  re- 
veals, it  is  nevertheless  the  grandest  product  of  Middle 
High  German  epic  poetry,  and  deservedly  the  most 
popular  poem  of  older  German  literature.  It  lacks,  to 
be  sure,  the  grace  of  diction  found  in  Gottfried  von 
Strassburg's  Tristan,  unci  Isolde,  the  detailed  and 
often  magnificent  descriptions  of  armor  and  dress  to  be 
met  with  in  the  epics  of  Hartman  von  Ouwe  ;  it  is  want- 
ing in  the  lofty  philosophy  of  Wolfram  von  Eschen- 
bach's  Parzival,  and  does  not,  as  this  latter,  lead 
the  reader  into  the  realms  of  religious  doubts  and  strug- 
gles.  It  is  imposing  through  its  very  simplicity,  through 
the  grandeur  of  the  story,  which  it  does  not  seek  to 
adorn  and  decorate.  It  nowhere  pauses  to  analyze 
motives  nor  to  give  us  a  picture  of  inner  conflict,  as 
modern  authors  are  fond  of  doing.  Its  characters  are 
impulsive  and  prompt  in  action,  and  when  they  have 
once  acted,  waste  no  time  in  useless  regret  or  remorse. 


xlvi  INTRODUCTORY   SKETCH 

It  resembles  the  older  Spielmannsdichtung,  or  min- 
strel poetry,  in  the  terseness  and  vigor  of  its  language 
and  in  the  lack  of  poetic  imagery,  but  it  is  free  from 
the  coarseness  and  vulgar  and  grotesque  humor  of  the 
latter.  It  approaches  the  courtly  epic  in  its  introduc- 
tion of  the  pomp  of  courtly  ceremonial,  but  this  veneer  of 
chivalry  is  very  thin,  and  beneath  the  outward  polish 
of  form  the  heart  beats  as  passionately  and  wildly  as 
in  the  days  of  Herman,  the  Cheruscan  chief.  There 
are  perhaps  greater  poems  in  literature  than  the  Nibe- 
lungenlied,  but  few  so  majestic  in  conception,  so  sub- 
lime in  their  tragedy,  so  simple  in  their  execution,  and 
so  national  in  their  character,  as  this  great  popular 
epic  of  German  literature. 


BIBLIOGRAPHICAL   AND   CRITICAL   REF- 
ERENCES TO   THE   INTRODUCTION 

Page  xii,  1.  10.  Facsimiles  of  the  MSS.  may  be  found 
in  Lassberg's  Liedersaal,  IV,  and  in  Konnecke's  jBilderatlas 
der  deutschen  Llteratur.  The  relations  of  the  manuscripts 
to  one  another  has  been  ably  discussed  by  Wilhelm  Braune, 
Die  Handschriftenverhdltnisse  des  Nibelungenliedes,  Paul 
and  Braunes  Beitrage,  vol.  xxv,  1-222.  Compare  also  Kett- 
ner,  Zeitschrift  fur  deutsche  Philologie,  34,  311-364. 

Page  xii,  1.  23.  See  Goedeeke's  Grundriss2,  i,  338.  Re- 
prints of  the  poem  may  be  found  in  Piper's  Nibelungenlied, 
1, 143-166,  and  in  Golther,  Braunes  Neudrucke,  Nos.  81-82. 

Page  xii,  1.  26.  See  Goetze,  Neudrucke,  No.  29,  and 
Arnold,  Deutsche  Nationallitteratur,  vol.  21. 

Page  xiii,  1.  2.  Reprinted  by  Golther  in  the  above-men- 
tioned edition  of  the  ballad. 

Page  xiii,  1.  9.  See  J.  Crueger,  Der  Entdecker  der  Ni- 
belungen,  Frankfurt,  1883. 

Page  xiii,  1.  16.  The  title  of  Lachmann's  essay  read : 
Ueber  die  ursprllngliche  Gestalt  des  Liedes  von  der  Nibe- 
hmgen  Not,  and  can  now  be  found  in  Lachmann's  Kleine 
Schriften,  pp.  1-80. 

Page  xiii,  1.  26.  Lachmann's  views  have  been  shown  to 
be  untenable  by  a  number  of  scholars,  among  others  by 
Jacob  Grimm  through  his  discovery  of  the  so-called Heptades 
of  Lachmann  ;  further  by  Heinrich  Fischer,  Nibelungenlied 
oder  Nibelungenlieder,  Hannover,  1859  ;  Karl  Bartsch,  Un- 
tersuchungen  liber  das  Nibelungenlied,  1865 ;  Hermann 
Paul,  Zur  Nibelungenfrage,  PB.  Beit,  in,  373-490. 

Page  xiv,  1.  10.  See  R.  C.  Boer,  Untersuchungen  ilber 
den  Ur sprung  und  die  Entwickelung  der  Nibelungensage, 
1906,  and  Wilmanns,  Der   Untergang  der  Nibelungen  in 


xlviii     REFERENCES  TO   THE   INTRODUCTION 

alter  Sage  und  Dichtung,  Berlin,  1903,  who  assumes  no  less 
than  five  stages  in  the  development. 

Page  xiv,  1.  18.  See  the  list  given  by  Piper,  I,  66. 

Page  xiv.  1.  20.  See  Pfei flier's  Freie  Forschungen,  pp. 
1-52,  and  the  literature  on  the  controversy  in  Muth's  Fin- 
leitung  in  das  Nibelungenlled,  Paderborn,  1877,  p.  256,  ff. 

Page  xv.  1.  3.  See  Bartsch,  Germanistlsche  Studien,  II, 
129,  and  Braune,  PB.  Beit,  xxv,  87. 

Page  xvi,  1.  6.  See  Wilhehn  Grimm,  Deutsche  Helden- 
sage,  p.  155,  note. 

Page  xvi,  1.  15.  See  Miillenhoff,  Zur  Geschlchte  der 
Nibelungensage,  Zeitschrift  fur  deutsches  Altertum,  x.  180. 

Page  xvi,  1.  18.  E.  Mogk,  Die  dlteste  Flnwanderung 
der  Nibelungensage  nach  Nor  den,  Festgabe  fur  Hildebrand, 
p.  1,  ft". 

Page  xvii.l.  10.  See  E.  Mogk,  PauVs  Grundriss'*,  n,  572. 

Page  xvii,  1.  23.  A  good  edition  of  the  saga  is  that  by 
Ranisch,  Berlin,  1891.  Piper  gives  the  story  in  the  intro- 
duction to  his  edition  of  the  Nlbelungen,  I,  10,  ff. 

Page  xviii,  1.  3.  See  E.  Wilken,  Untersuchitngen  ilber 
die  Snorraedda,  Paderborn,  1878.  Editions  have  been  pre- 
pared by  E.  Wilken,  1878,  and  by  E.  Mogk. 

Page  xviii,  1.  22.  In  addition  to  vai-ious  Scandinavian 
editions,  one  has  been  published  by  E.  Wilken,  and  a  trans- 
lation into  German  by  von  der  Hagen,  Altdeutsche  und 
altnordlsche  Heldenromane,  vol.  in. 

Page  xix,  1.  5.  See  A.  Raszmann,  DieNifiungasaga  und 
dasNibelungenlied,  1871;  H.  Paul,  Die  Thldreksaga  und  das 
Nibelungenlled,  1900.  A  translation  will  be  found  in  von 
der  Hagen's  above-named  work  and  by  A.  Raszmann,  Die 
deutsche  Heldensage,  Hannover,  1858.  A  detailed  account  is 
given  by  Piper,  I,  116,  ff. 

Page  xxvii,  1.  20.  Lachmann  in  his  Krltik  der  Nibe- 
lungensage, Rhein.  Museum,  vol.  3,  was  the  first  to  attempt 
a  mythological  explanation  of  the  saga,  but  it  remained  for 
Willi.  Muller  (  Versuch  elner  mythologlschen  Erkldrung  der 


REFERENCES  TO   THE   INTRODUCTION      xlix 

Nibelungensage,  Berlin,  1841,  and  Mythologie  der  deutschen 
Heldensage,  Heilbronn,  1866),  to  work  out  a  detailed  inter- 
pretation. At  present  the  best  exponent  of  this  belief  is  TVil- 
manns,  whose  views  will  be  found  expressed  in  Anzeiger  fur 
deutsches  Altertum,  vol.  xviii,  72  ff.,  and  vol.  xxxr,  77-102. 

Page  xxix,  1.  9.  Boer's  views  are  to  be  found  in  vols. 
37  and  38  of  tbe  ZsfdPh.  and  in  separate  form  under  the 
title  :  Untersuchungen  ilber  den  Ursprung  und  die  Entwik- 
kelang  der  Nibelungensage,  2  vols.,  Halle,  1906  and  1907. 

Page  xxxiv,  1. 12.  That  mythological  elements  are  possi- 
ble, is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  slaying  of  a  dragon  by  a 
hero  is  a  well-known  hypostasis  of  natural  phenomena,  and 
is  found  in  all  Indo-European  mythologies,  e.  g.  in  Greek 
mythology  and  in  the  Hindu  myth  of  Karma,  where  the 
god  of  light  slays  the  dragon  typifying  the  thunderstorms  of 
spring.  See  TV.  Schwartz,  Ueber  die  altgriechischen  ScMan* 
gengottheiten,  Program,  Berlin,  1858.  The  freeing  of  a 
maiden,  also,  is  a  tale  told  of  several  gods,  e.  g.  in  the  myth 
of  Freyr  and  Gerdhr  and  of  Odin  and  Rindhr,  and  it  is 
just  as  plausible  to  consider  that  fairy  tales  like  Sleeping 
Beautv  are  a  corrupted  form  of  ancient  myths,  as  to  think 
with  Boer,  that  they  represent  the  original  form  of  the  story. 
Finally  the  very  names  of  Siegfried's  opponents  :  Nibelungs 
(Norse,  Nijiungar),  'children  of  the  mist  and  fog'  (Nebel- 
kinder),  point  to  a  mythical  origin  of  the  legend,  as  the 
names  Niflhel  and  Nijiheimr  are  used  in  Norse  mythology 
as  designations  of  the  lower  world  and  the  foggy  realms  of 
the  dead. 

Boer's  view  stands  and  falls  with  the  belief  that  the  greed 
for  treasure  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  whole  tale  and  that  Hagen 
was  originally  the  brother  of  Kriemhild,  and  himself  the 
king,  neither  of  which  is  capable  of  absolute  proof.  Never- 
theless Boer's  investigation  forms  the  most  plausible  recon- 
struction of  the  story  for  those  who  deny  the  possibility  of 
mythical  elements,  and  was  hailed  as  such  by  Golther  in  his 
review  of  the  work,  Liter utitrblatt,  1908,  Sp.  3.    See  also 


1  REFERENCES  TO   THE   INTRODUCTION 

Vogt,  ZsfdPh.  xxv,  412,  who  thinks  that  Hagen  was  ori- 
ginally a  Nibelung  and  that  the  later  transformation  of  the 
Nibelnngs  into  kings  of  tbe  Rhine  lands  and  into  Burgundi- 
ans  was  due  to  tbe  gold  industry  of  this  stream  which  led  to 
the  identification  of  the  hoard  of  tbe  IMibelungs  with  the 
Rhine  gold. 

Page  xxxiv,  1.  14.  See  Mullenhoff,  Zur  Geschichte  der 
Nibelungensage,  ZsfdA,  x,  146  to  180  ;  Scherer,  Ueber  das 
N  ibelungenlied,  Preussische  Jahrbiicher,  xvi,  pp.  253-271, 
and  G.  Waitz,  Forschungen  zur  deutschen  Geschichte,  I,  i. 
Der  Kampf  der  Burgunden  und  Hunnen,  Gottingen,  1860. 

Page  xxxvii,  1.  17.  Vague  reminiscences  of  this  rela- 
tionship are  still  to  be  seen  in  tbe  poem.  Thus  when  Sieg- 
fried comes  to  Brunhild's  land  she  uses  the  familiar  du 
(thou)  to  him,  whereas  she  addresses  all  the  others  with  ir 
(you).  Moreover  she  seems  to  know  all  about  him  as  soon 
as  his  name  is  mentioned.  Again,  she  sheds  tears  when  she 
sees  Siegfried  stand  at  Kriemhild's  side  on  their  wedding 
day,  which  can  only  be  explained  by  an  earlier  connection 
between  Siegfried  and  Brunhild.  The  poet  not  understand- 
ing this  action,  explains  it  as  due  to  the  fact  that  Krieinhild 
is  lowering  herself  in  marrying  a  vassal  of  Gunther.  But 
this  is  palpably  not  true,  for  Siegfried  is  here  depicted  as  an 
independent  prince. 

Page  xl,  1. 16.  The  differences  between  the  Thidrelcsaga 
and  the  Nibelungenlied  have  been  pointed  out  in  great  de- 
tail by  Wilmanns,  Untergang,  p.  25,  and  Boer,  Untersuch- 
ungen,  Chap.  X. 

Page  xli,  1.  27.  For  full  details  see  Wilmanns,  AnzfdA, 
xvni,  106. 

Page  xlii,  1.  3.  See  Boer,  vol.  I,  95  and  111. 

Page  xliv,  1.  16.  For  a  detailed  study  of  the  metre,  see 
Karl  Bartsch,  Untersuclmngen  ilber  das  Nibelungenlied  % 
Vienna,  1863  ;  Kauffmann,  deutsche  Metrik,  Marburg,  1897  ; 
Boer,  Untersuclmngen,  vol.  n,  110  to  147.  Other  works  are 
given  by  Piper,  vol.  I,  83,  note  4. 


ENGLISH  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

A  complete  bibliography  of  English  works  dealing  with  the  Nibe- 
lungenlied  will  be  found  in  F.  E.  t^andbach,  The  N ibelungenlied  and 
Gudrun  in  England  and  America,  London,  1904,  pp.  82-117.  For  the 
convenience  of  the  reader  a  short  list  of  some  of  the  best  English  ac- 
counts is  given  here. 

G.  T.  Dippokl.  —  The  Great  Epics  of  Mediaeval  Ger- 
many.    (Boston,  1882.) 

F.  H.  Hedge.  —  Hours  with  German  Classics.  (Boston, 
1886.) 

Jessie  L.  Weston,  Legends  of  the  Wagner  Drama. 
(London,  1896.) 

Gustav  Grnener.  —  The  N ibelungenlied  and  Saga  in 
Modern  'Poetry,  in  the  Publications  of  the  Modern  Lan- 
guage Association  of  America,  xi,  220-257.  (Baltimore, 
1896.) 

C.  H.  Genung. —  The  N ibelungenlied,  in  Warner's  "Li- 
brary of  the  World's  Best  Literature,"  xvin,  10,627  ff. 
(New  York,  1897.) 

Camillo  von  Klenze.  —  The  Sigfrid  Stories,  in  the 
N ibehingenlied  and  Elsewhere,  in  Poet  Lore,  x,  543  ff. 
(Boston.  1898.) 

John  Clarke,  M.  A.  —  A  History  of  Epic  Poetry.  (Edin- 
burgh, 1900.) 

J.  G.  Robertson.  —  A  History  of  German  Literature, 
pp.  59-71.  (Edinburgh  and  London,  1902.) 

Winifred  Faraday.  —  The  Edda.  (Nutt's  Popular 
Studies  in  Mythology,  Romance  and  Folklore.  London, 
1902.) 

The  best  translations  into  English  verse  are  those  by  W. 
N.  Lettson,  The  Fall  of  the  Nibelungers,  London,  1874, 
and  by  Alice  Horton,  The  Lay  of  the  Nibelungs,  London, 
1898. 


THE    NIBELUNGENLIED1 

ADVENTURE  1 2 

Full  many  a  wonder  is  told  us  in  stories  old,  of  heroes 
worthy  of  praise,  of  hardships  dire,  of  joy  and  feasting, 
of  the  righting  of  bold  warriors,  of  weeping  and  of  wail- 
ing ;  now  ye  may  hear  wonders  told. 

In  Burgundy  there  grew  so  noble  a  maid  that  in  all 
the  lands  none  fairer  might  there  be.  Kriemhild  3  was 
she  called ;  a  comely  woman  she  became,  for  whose  sake 
many  a  knight  must  needs  lose  his  life.  Well  worth  the 
loving  was  this  winsome  maid.  Bold  knights  strove  for 
her,  none  bare  her  hate.  Her  peerless  body  was  beauti- 
ful beyond  degree  ;  the  courtly  virtues  of  this  maid  of 
noble  birth  would  have  adorned  many  another  woman 
too. 

Three  kings,  noble  and  puissant,  did  nurture  her, 
Gunther  4  and  Gemot,5  warriors  worthy  of  praise,  and 
Giselher,6  the  youth,  a  chosen  knight.  This  lady  was 
their  sister,  the  princes  had  her  in  their  care.  The  lord- 
ings  were  free  in  giving,  of  race  high-born,  passing  bold 
of  strength  were  they,  these  chosen  knights.  Their  realm 
hight  Burgundy.  Great  marvels  they  wrought  hereafter 
in  Etzel's 7  land.  At  Worms 8  upon  the  Rhine  they  dwelt 
with  all  their  power.  Proud  knights  from  out  their  lands 
served  them  with  honor,  until  their  end  was  come. 
Thei-eafter  they  died  grievously,  through  the  hate  of 
two  noble  dames. 

Their  mother,  a  mighty  queen,  was  called  the  Lady 


2  THE   NIBELUNGENL1ED 

Uta,1  their  father,  Dankrat,2  who  left  them  the  herit- 
age after  his  life  was  over  ;  a  mighty  man  of  valor  that 
he  was,  who  won  thereto  in  youth  worship  full  great. 
These  kings,  as  I  have  said,  were  of  high  prowess.  To 
them  owed  allegiance  the  best  of  warriors,  of  whom 
tales  were  ever  told,  strong  and  brave,  fearless  in  the 
sharp  strife.  Hagen 3  there  was  of  Troneg,  thereto  his 
brother  Dankwart,4  the  doughty;  Ortwin5  of  Metz ; 
Gere0  and  Eckewart,7  the  margraves  twain  ;  Folker8 
of  Alzei,  endued  with  fullness  of  strength.  Rumolt9 
was  master  of  the  kitchen,  a  chosen  knight ;  the  lords 
Sindolt  and  Hunolt,  liegemen  of  these  three  kings,  had 
rule  of  the  court  and  of  its  honors.  Thereto  had  they 
many  a  warrior  whose  name  I  cannot  tell.  Dankwart 
was  marshal ;  his  nephew,  Ortwin,  seneschal  unto  the 
king  ;  Sindolt  was  cupbearer,  a  chosen  knight ;  Hunolt 
served  as  chamberlain  :  well  they  wot  how  to  fdl  these 
lofty  stations.  Of  the  forces  of  the  court  and  its  far- 
reaching  might,  of  the  high  worship 10  and  of  the  chiv- 
alry these  lords  did  ply  with  joy  throughout  their  life, 
of  this  forsooth  none  might  relate  to  you  the  end. 

In  the  midst  of  these  high  honors  Kriemhild  dreamed 
a  dream,  of  how  she  trained  a  falcon,  strong,  fair,  and 
wild,  which,  before  her  very  eyes,  two  eagles  rent  to 
pieces.  No  greater  sorrow  might  chance  to  her  in  all 
this  world.  This  dream  then  she  told  to  Uta  her  mother, 
who  could  not  unfold  it  to  the  dutiful  maid  in  better 
wise  than  thus :  "  The  falcon  which  thou  trainest,  thai 
is  a  noble  man,  but  thou  must  needs  lose  him  soon, 
unless  so  be  that  God  preserve  him." 

"  Why  speakest  thou  to  me  of  men,  dear  mother 
mine  ?  I  would  fain  ever  be  without  a  warrior's  love. 


THE   NIBELUNGENLIED  3 

So  fair  will  I  remain  until  my  death,  that  I  shall 
never  £ain  woe  from  love  of  man." 

"  Now  forswear  this  not  too  roundly,"  spake  the 
mother  in  reply.  "  If  ever  thou  shalt  wax  glad  of 
heart  in  this  world,  that  will  chance  through  the  love 
of  man.  Passing  fair  wilt  thou  become,  if  God  grant 
thee  a  right  worthy  knight."' 

"  I  pray  you  leave  this  speech,"  spake  she,  "  my 
lady.  Full  oft  hath  it  been  seen  in  many  a  wife,  how 
joy  may  at  last  end  in  sorrow7.  I  shall  avoid  them 
both,  then  can  it  ne'er  go  ill  with  me." 

Thus  in  her  heart  Kriemhild  forsware  all  love. 
Many  a  happy  day  thereafter  the  maiden  lived  with- 
out that  she  wist  any  whom  she  would  care  to  love. 
In  after  days  she  became  with  worship  a  valiant 
hero's  bride.  He  was  the  selfsame  falcon  which  she 
beheld  in  her  dream  that  her  mother  unfolded  to  her. 
How  sorely  did  she  avenge  this  upon  her  nearest  kin, 
who  slew  him  after!  Through  his  dying  alone  there 
fell  full  many  a  mother's  son. 


ADVENTURE  II 

OF  SIEGFRIED 

In  the  Netherlands  there  grew  the  child  of  a  noble 
king  (his  father  had  for  name  Siegmund,1  his  mother 
Siegelind  2),  in  a  mighty  castle,  known  far  and  wide, 
in  the  lowlands  of  the  Rhine:  Xanten,3  men  called 
it.  Of  this  hero  I  sing,  how  fair  he  grew.  Free  he  was 
of  every  blemish.  Strong  and  famous  he  later  became, 
this  valiant  man.  Ho!  what  great  worship  he  won 
in  this  world  !  Siegfried  hight  this  good  and  doughty 
knight.  Full  many  kingdoms  did  lie  put  to  the  test 
through  his  warlike  mood.  Through  his  strength  of 
body  he  rode  into  many  lands.  Ho  !  what  bold  war- 
riors he  after  found  in  the  Burgundian  land  !  Mickle 
wonders  might  one  tell  of  Siegfried  in  his  prime,  in 
youthful  days  ;  what  honors  he  received  and  how  fair 
of  body  he.  The  most  stately  women  held  him  in  their 
love ;  with  the  zeal  which  was  his  due  men  trained 
him.  But  of  himself  what  virtues  he  attained !  Truly 
his  father's  lands  were  honored,  that  he  was  found  in 
all  tilings  of  such  right  lordly  mind.  Now  was  he  be- 
come of  the  age  that  he  might  ride  to  court.  Gladly 
the  people  saw  him,  many  a  maid  wished  that  his  de- 
sire might  ever  bear  him  hither.  Enow  gazed  on  him 
with  favor  ;  of  this  the  prince  was  well  aware.  Full  sel- 
dom was  the  youth  allowed  to  ride  without  a  guard  of 
knights.  Siegmund  and  Siegelind  bade  deck  him  out 
in  brave  attire.  The  older  knights  who  were  acquaint 


OF   SIEGFRIED  5 

with  courtly  custom,  had  him  in  their  care.  Well  there- 
fore might  he  win  both  folk  and  land. 

Now  he  was  of  the  strength  that  he  bare  weapons 
well.  Whatever  he  needed  thereto,  of  this  he  had  enow. 
With  purpose  he  began  to  woo  fair  ladies ;  these  bold 
Siegfried  courted  well  in  proper  wise.  Then  bade  Sieg- 
mund  have  cried  to  all  his  men,  that  he  would  hold  a 
feasting  with  his  loving  kindred.  The  tidings  thereof 
men  brought  into  the  lands  of  other  kings.  To  the 
strangers  and  the  home-folk  he  gave  steeds  and  armor. 
Wheresoever  any  was  found  who,  because  of  his  birth, 
should  become  a  knight,  these  noble  youths  were 
summoned  to  the  land  for  the  feasting.  Here  with  the 
youthful  prince  they  gained  the  knightly  sword.  Won- 
ders might  one  tell  of  this  great  feast ;  Siegmund  and 
Siegelind  wist  well  how  to  gain  great  worship  with  their 
gifts,  of  which  their  hands  dealt  out  great  store. 
Wherefore  one  beheld  many  strangers  riding  to  their 
realm.  Four  hundred  sword-thanes  *  were  to  put  on 
knightly  garb  with  Siegfried.  Many  a  fair  maid  was 
aught  but  idle  with  the  work,  for  he  was  beloved  of  them 
all.  Many  precious  stones  the  ladies  inlaid  on  the  gold, 
which  together  with  the  edging  they  would  work  upon 
the  dress  of  the  proud  young  warriors,  for  this  must 
needs  be  done. 

The  host  bade  make  benches  for  the  many  valiant 
men,  for  the  midsummer2  festival,  at  which  Siegfried 
should  gain  the  name  of  knight.  Then  full  many  a 
noble  knight  and  many  a  high-born  squire  did  hie  them 
to  the  minster.  Right  were  the  elders  in  that  they  served 
the  young,  as  had  been  done  to  them  afore.  Pastimes 
they  had  and  hope  of  much  good  cheer.  To  the  honor 


6  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

of  God  a  mass  was  sung ;  then  there  rose  from  the 
people  full  great  a  press,  as  the  youths  were  made 
knights  in  courtly  wise,  with  such  great  honors  as  might 
not  ever  lightly  be  again.  Then  they  ran  to  where  they 
found  saddled  many  a  steed.  In  Siegmund's  court  the 
hurtling '  waxed  so  fierce  that  both  palace2  and  hall  were 
heard  to  ring ;  the  high-mettled  warriors  clashed  with 
mighty  sound.  From  young  and  old  one  heard  many  a 
shock,  so  that  the  splintering  of  the  shafts  reechoed  to 
the  clouds.  Truncheons  3  were  seen  flying  out  before  the 
palace  from  the  hand  of  many  a  knight.  This  was  done 
with  zeal.  At  length  the  host  bade  cease  the  tourney 
and  the  steeds  were  led  away.  Upon  the  turf  one  saw 
all  to-shivered 4  many  a  mighty  buckler  and  great  store 
of  precious  stones  from  the  bright  spangles5  of  the 
shields.  Through  the  hurtling  this  did  hap. 

Then  the  guests  of  the  host  betook  them  to  where 
men  bade  them  sit.  With  good  cheer  they  refreshed 
them  and  with  the  very  best  of  wine,  of  which  one  bare 
full  plenty.  To  the  strangers  and  the  home-folk  was 
shown  worship  enow.  Though  much  pastime  they  had 
throughout  the  day,  many  of  the  strolling  folk  forsware 
all  rest.  They  served  for  the  largess,  which  men  found 
there  richly,  whereby  Siegmund's  whole  land  was 
decked  with  praise.  Then  bade  the  king  enfeoff  Sieg- 
fried, the  youth,  with  land  and  castles,  as  he  himself  had 
done.  Much  his  hand  bestowed  upon  the  sword-com- 
panions. The  journey  liked  them  well,  that  to  this  land 
they  were  come.  The  feasting  lasted  until  the  seventh 
day.  Siegelind,  the  noble  queen,  for  the  love  of  her  son, 
dealt  out  ruddy  gold  in  time-honored  wise.  Full  well 
she  wot  how  to  make  him  beloved  of  the  folk.    Scarce 


OF   SIEGFRIED  7 

could  a  poor  man  be  found  among  the  strolling  mimes. 
Steeds  and  raiment  were  scattered  by  their  hand,  as  if 
they  were  to  live  not  one  more  day.  I  trow  that  never 
did  serving  folk  use  such  great  bounty.  With  worship- 
ful honors  the  company  departed  hence.  Of  the  mighty 
barons  the  tale  doth  tell  that  they  desired  the  youth 
unto  their  lord,  but  of  this  the  stately  knight,  Sir  Sieg- 
fried, listed  naught.  Forasmuch  as  both  Siegmund  and 
Siegelind  were  still  alive,  the  dear  child  of  them  twain 
wished  not  to  wear  a  crown,  but  fain  would  he  become 
a  lord  against  all  the  deeds  of  force  within  his  lands, 
whereof  the  bold  and  daring  knight  was  sore  adread. 


ADVENTURE  III 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    CAME  TO    WORMS 

It  was  seldom  that  sorrow  of  heart  perturbed  the 
prince.  He  heard  tales  told  of  how  there  lived  in  Bur- 
gundy a  comely  maid,  fashioned  wondrous  fair,  from 
whom  he  thereafter  gained  much  of  joy,  but  suffering, 
too.  Her  beauty  out  of  measure  was  known  far  and 
wide.  So  many  a  hero  heard  of  her  noble  mind,  that  it 
alone  brought  many  a  guest *  to  Gunther's  land.  But 
however  many  were  seen  wooing  for  her  love,  Kriem- 
hild  never  confessed  within  her  heart  that  she  listed 
any  for  a  lover.  He  was  still  a  stranger  to  her,  whose 
ride  she  later  owned.  Then  did  the  son  of  Siegelind 
aspire  to  lofty  love  ;  the  wooing  of  all  others  was  to  his 
but  as  the  wind,  for  well  he  wot  how  to  gain  a  lady 
fair.  In  later  days  the  noble  Kriemhild  became  bold 
Siegfried's  bride.  Kinsmen  and  liegemen  enow  advised 
him,  since  he  would  have  hope  of  constant  love,  that 
he  woo  one  who  was  his  peer.  At  this  bold  Siegfried 
spake  :  "  Then  will  I  choose  Kriemhild,  the  fair  maid 
of  Burgundy,  for  her  beauty  beyond  measure.  This  I 
know  full  well,  never  was  emperor  so  mighty,  and  he 
would  have  a  wife,  that  it  would  not  beseem  him  to 
love  this  noble  queen." 

Tidings  of  this  reached  Siegmund's  ear ;  through 
the  talk  of  the  courtiers  he  was  made  ware  of  the  wish 
of  his  son.  Full  loth  it  was  to  the  king,  that  his  child 
would  woo  the  glorious  maid.  Siegelind  heard  it  too, 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO   WORMS  9 

the  wife  of  the  noble  king.  Greatly  she  feared  for  her 
child,  for  full  well  she  knew  Gunther  and  his  men. 
Therefore  they  sought  to  turn  the  hero  from  this  ven- 
ture. Up  spake  then  the  daring  Siegfried :  "  Dear 
father  mine,  I  would  fain  ever  be  without  the  love  of 
noble  dames,  if  I  may  not  woo  her  in  whom  my  heart 
hath  great  delight ;  whatsoever  any  may  aver,  it  will 
avail  but  naught." 

"  And  thou  wilt  not  turn  back,"  spake  the  king, 
"  then  am  I  in  sooth  glad  of  thy  will  and  will  help 
thee  bring  it  to  pass,  as  best  I  may.  Yet  hath  this 
King  Gunther  full  many  a  haughty  man.  If  there  were 
none  else  but  Hagen,  the  doughty  knight,  he  can  use 
such  arrogance  that  I  fear  me  it  will  repent  us  sore,  if 
we  woo  this  high-born  maid." 

Then  Siegfried  made  reply :  "  Wherefore  need  that 
hinder  us?  What  I  may  not  obtain  from  them  in 
friendly  wise,  that  my  hand  and  its  strength  can  gain. 
I  trow  that  1  can  wrest  from  him  both  folk  and 
land." 

To  this  Prince  Siegmund  replied  :  "  Thy  speech  lik- 
eth  me  not,  for  if  this  tale  were  told  upon  the  Rhine, 
then  durst  thou  never  ride  unto  that  land.  Lone1  time 
have  Gunther  and  Gemot  been  known  to  me.  By 
force  may  none  win  the  maid,  of  this  have  I  been  well 
assured  ;  but  wilt  thou  ride  with  warriors  unto  this 
land,  and  we  still  have  aught  of  friends,  they  shall  be 
summoned  soon." 

"  It  is  not  to  my  mind,"  spake  again  Siegfried, 
"  that  warriors  should  follow  me  to  the  Rhine,  as  if 
for  battle,  that  I  constrain  thereby  the  noble  maid. 
My  single  hand  can  win  her  well  —  with  eleven '  com- 


10  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

rades  I  will  fare  to  Gunther's  land  ;  thereto  shalt  thou 
help  me,  Father  Siegmund."  Then  to  his  knights  they 
gave  for  garments  furs  both  gray  and  vair. 1 

Now  his  mother  Siegelind  also  heard  the  tale.  She 
began  to  make  dole  for  her  loved  child,  whom  she 
feared  to  lose  through  Gunther's  men.  Sorely  the  noble 
queen  gan  weep.  Lord  Siegfried  hied  him  straight- 
way to  where  he  saw  her  ;  to  his  mother  he  spake  in 
gentle  wise  :  "  Lady,  ye  must  not  weep  for  me;  naught 
have  I  to  fear  from  all  his  fighting  men.  I  pray  you, 
speed  me  on  my  journey  to  the  Burgundian  land, 
that  I  and  my  warriors  may  have  array  such  as  proud 
heroes  can  wear  with  honor ;  for  this  I  will  say  you 
gramercy  i'  faith." 

"Since  naught  will  turn  thee,"  spake  then  the 
Lady  Siegelind,  "  so  will  I  speed  thee  on  thy  journey, 
mine  only  child,  with  the  best  of  weeds  that  ever 
knight  did  wear,  thee  and  thy  comrades.  Ye  shall  have 
enow." 

Siegfried,  the  youth,  then  made  low  obeisance  to 
the  queen.  He  spake  :  "  None  but  twelve  warriors  will 
I  have  upon  the  way.  Let  raiment  be  made  ready  for 
them,  I  pray,  for  I  would  fain  see  how  it  standeth  with 
Kriemhild." 

Then  sate  fair  ladies  night  and  day.  Few  enow  of 
them,  I  trow,  did  ease  them,  till  Siegfried's  weeds  had 
all  been  wrought.  Nor  would  he  desist  from  faring 
forth.  His  father  bade  adorn  the  knightly  garb  in 
which  his  son  should  ride  forth  from  Siegmund's  land. 
The  shining  breastplates,  too,  were  put  in  trim,  also  the 
stanch  helmets  and  their  shields  both  fair  and  broad. 
Now  their  journey  to  the  Burgundian  land  drew  near; 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO    WORMS  11 

man  and  wife  began  to  fear  lest  they  never  should 
come  home  again.  The  hei-oes  bade  lade  their  sump- 
ters  with  weapons  and  with  harness.  Their  steeds  were 
fair  and  their  trappings  red  with  gold.  No  need  were 
there  to  live  more  proudly  than  Siegfried  and  his  men. 
Then  he  asked  for  leave  to  journey  to  the  land  of  Bur- 
gundy ;  this  the  king  and  queen  sorrowfully  vouch- 
safed. Lovingly  he  comforted  them  twain.  "  For  my 
sake,"  spake  he, "  must  ye  not  weep,  nor  have  fear  for 
me  or  for  my  life." 

The  warriors,  too,  were  sad  and  many  a  maiden 
wept ;  I  ween,  their  hearts  did  tell  them  rightly  that 
many  of  their  kinsmen  would  come  to  death  because  of 
this.  Just  cause  had  they  for  wailing  ;  need  enow  they 
had  in  sooth. 

Upon  the  seventh  morning,  forth  upon  the  river 
sand  at  Worms  the  brave  warriors  pricked.  Their  ar- 
mor was  of  ruddy  gold  and  their  trappings  fashioned 
fair.  Smoothly  trotted  the  steeds  of  bold  Siegfried's 
men.  Their  shields  were  new  ;  gleaming  and  broad  and 
fair  their  helmets,  as  Siegfried,  the  bold,  rode  to  court 
in  Gunther's  land.  Never  had  such  princely  attire  been 
seen  on  heroes ;  their  sword-points  hung  down  to  their 
spurs.  Sharp  javelins  were  borne  by  these  chosen 
knights.  Siegfried  wielded  one  full  two  spans  broad, 
which  upon  its  edges  cut  most  dangerously.  In  their 
hands  they  held  gold-colored  bridles ;  their  martin- 
gales were  silken :  so  they  came  into  the  land.  Every- 
where the  folk  began  to  gape  amazed  and  many  of 
Gunther's  men  fared  forth  to  meet  them.  High-met- 
tled warriors,  both  knight  and  squire,  betook  them  to 
the  lords  (as  was  but  right),  and  received  into  the  land 


12  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

of  their  lords  these  guests  and  took  from  their  hands 
the  black  sumpters  which  bore  the  shields.  The  steeds, 
too,  they  wished  to  lead  away  for  easement.  How  boldly 
then  brave  Siegfried  spake  :  "  Let  stand  the  mounts  of 
me  and  of  my  men.  We  will  soon  hence  again,  of  this 
have  I  great  desire.  Whosoever  knoweth  rightly  where 
I  can  find  the  king,  Gunther,  the  mighty,  of  Burgun- 
dian  land,  let  him  not  keep  his  peace  but  tell  me." 

Then  up  spake  one  to  whom  it  was  rightly  known  : 
"  Would  ye  find  the  king,  that  can  hap  full  well.  In 
yon  broad  hall  with  his  heroes  did  I  but  see  him.  Ye 
must  hither  hie  you ;  there  ye  may  find  with  him  many 
a  lordly  man." 

To  the  king  now  the  word  was  brought,  that  full 
lusty  knights  were  come,  who  wore  white  breastplates 
and  princely  garb.  None  knew  them  in  the  Burgundian 
land.  Much  it  wondered  the  king  whence  came  these 
lordly  warriors  in  such  shining  array,  with  such  good 
shields,  both  new  and  broad.  Loth  was  it  to  Gunther, 
that  none  could  tell  him  this.  Then  Ortwin  of  Metz 
(a  bold  and  mighty  man  was  he)  made  answer  to  the 
king :  "  Since  we  know  them  not,  ye  should  send  for  mine 
uncle  Hagen,  and  let  him  see  them.  To  him  are  known  l 
all  kingdoms  and  foreign  lands.  If  so  be  he  knoweth 
these  lords,  he  will  tell  us  straightway." 

Then  bade  the  king  that  Hagen  and  his  men  be 
brought.  One  saw  him  with  his  warriors  striding  in 
lordly  wise  unto  the  court. 

"  What  would  the  king  of  me  ?  "  asked  Hagen. 

"  There  be  come  to  my  house  strange  warriors,  whom 
here  none  knoweth.  If  ye  have  ever  seen  them,  I  pray 
you,  Hagen,  tell  me  now  the  truth." 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO   WORMS  13 

"  That  will  I,"  spake  then  Hagen.  He  hied  him  to 
a  window  and  over  the  guests  he  let  his  glances  roam. 
Well  liked  him  their  trappings  and  their  array,  but 
full  strange  were  they  to  him  in  the  Burgundian  land. 
He  spake:  "  From  wheresoever  these  warriors  be  come 
unto  the  Rhine,  they  may  well  be  princes  or  envoys 
of  kings,  for  their  steeds  are  fair  and  their  garments 
passing  good.  Whencesoever  they  bear  these,  forsooth 
high-mettled  warriors  be  they." 

"  I  dare  well  say,"  so  spake  Hagen,  "  though  I  never 
have  seen  Siegfried,  yet  can  I  well  believe,  however 
this  may  be,  that  he  is  the  warrior  that  strideth  yonder 
in  such  lordly  wise.  He  bringeth  new  tidings  hither 
to  this  land.  By  this  hero's  hand  were  slain  the  bold 
Nibelungs,  Schilbung  and  Nibelung,1  sons  of  a  mighty 
king.  Since  then  he  hath  wrought  great  marvels  with 
his  huge  strength.  Once  as  the  hero  rode  alone  with- 
out  all  aid,  he  found  before  a  mountain,  as  I  have  in 
sooth  been  told,  by  Nibelung's  hoard  full  many  a  dar« 
ing  man.  Strangers  they  were  to  him,  till  he  gained 
knowledge  of  them  there. 

"  The  hoard  of  Nibelung  was  borne  entire  from  out 
a  hollow  hill.  Now  hear  a  wondrous  tale,  of  how  the 
liegemen  of  Nibelung  wished  to  divide  it  there.  This 
the  hero  Siegfried  saw  and  much  it  gan  wonder  him. 
So  near  was  he  now  come  to  them,  that  he  beheld  the 
heroes,  and  the  knights  espied  him,  too.  One  among 
them  spake  :  '  Here  cometh  the  mighty  Siegfried,  the 
hero  of  Netherlands  Passing  strange  were  the  tidings 
that  he  found  among  the  Nibelungs.  Schilbung  and 
Nibelung  greeted  well  the  knight ;  with  one  accord 
these  young  and  noble  lordings  bade  the  stately  man 


14  THE  NIBELUNGENL1ED 

divide  the  hoard.  Eagerly  they  asked  it,  and  the  lord 
in  turn  gan  vow  it  to  them. 

"  He  beheld  such  store  of  gems,  as  we  have  heard 
said,  that  a  hundred  wains  might  not  bear  the  load  ; 
still  more  was  there  of  ruddy  gold  from  the  Nibelung 
land.  All  this  the  hand  of  the  daring  Siegfried  should 
divide.  As  a  guerdon  they  gave  him  the  sword  of  Ni- 
belung, but  they  were  served  full  ill  by  the  service 
which  the  good  knight  Siegfried  should  render  them. 
Nor  could  he  end  it  for  them ;  angry  of  mood  *  they 
grew.  Twelve  bold  men  of  their  kith  were  there,  mighty 
giants  these.  What  might  that  avail  them !  Siegfried's 
hand  slew  them  soon  in  wrath,  and  seven  hundred  war- 
riors from  the  Nibelung  land  he  vanquished  with  the 
good  sword  Balmung.2  Because  of  the  great  fear  that 
many  a  young  warrior  had  of  the  sword  and  of  the 
valiant  man,  they  made  the  land  and  its  castles  subject 
to  his  hand.  Likewise  both  the  mighty  kings  he  slew, 
but  soon  he  himself  was  sorely  pressed  by  Alberich.3 
The  latter  weened  to  venge  straightway  his  masters, 
till  he  then  discovered  Siegfried's  mighty  strength ;  for 
no  match  for  him  was  the  sturdy  dwarf.  Like  wild 
lions  they  ran  to  the  hill,  where  from  Alberich  he  won 
the  Cloak  of  Darkness.4  Thus  did  Siegfried,  the  ter- 
rible, become  master  of  the  hoard ;  those  who  had  dared 
the  combat,  all  lay  there  slain.  Soon  bade  he  cart  and 
bear  the  treasure  to  the  place  from  whence  the  men 
of  Nibelung  had  borne  it  forth.  He  made  Alberich, 
the  strong,  warden  of  the  hoard  and  bade  him  swear 
an  oath  to  serve  him  as  his  knave ;  and  fit  he  was  for 
work  of  every  sort." 

So  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  This  he  hath  done. 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO   WORMS  15 

Nevermore  did  warrior  win  such  mighty  strength.  I 
wot  yet  more  of  him :  it  is  known  to  me  that  the  hero 
slew  a  dragon  and  bathed  him  in  the  blood,  so  that  his 
skin  became  like  horn.  Therefore  no  weapons  will  cut 
him,  as  hath  full  oft  been  seen.  All  the  better  must  we 
greet  this  lord,  that  we  may  not  earn  the  youthful 
warrior's  hate.  So  bold  is  he  that  we  should  hold  him 
as  a  friend,  for  he  hath  wrought  full  many  a  wonder 
by  his  strength." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king :  "  Thou  mayst  well 
have  right.  Behold  how  valiantly  he  with  his  knights 
doth  stand  in  lust  of  battle,  the  daring  man !  Let  us 
go  down  to  meet  the  warrior." 

"  That  ye  may  do  with  honor,"  spake  then  Hagen  ; 
"  he  is  of  noble  race,  son  of  a  mighty  king.  God  wot, 
methinks,  he  beareth  him  in  such  wise,  that  it  can  be 
no  little  matter  for  which  he  hath  ridden  hither." 

"  Now  be  he  welcome  to  us,"  spake  then  the  king  of 
the  land.  "  He  is  both  noble  and  brave,  as  I  have  heard 
full  well.  This  shall  stand  him  in  good  stead  in  the 
Bursnindian  land."  Then  went  Lord  Gunther  to  where 
Siegfried  stood. 

The  host  and  his  warriors  received  the  guest  in  such 
wise  that  full  little  was  there  lack  of  worship.  Low 
bowed  the  stately  man,  that  they  had  greeted  him  so 
fair.  "  It  wondereth  me,"  spake  the  king  straightway, 
"  whence  ye,  noble  Siegfried,  be  come  unto  this  land,  or 
what  ye  seek  at  Worms  upon  the  Rhine." 

Then  the  stranger  made  answer  to  the  king :  "  This 
will  I  not  conceal  from  you.  Tales  were  told  me  in  my 
father's  land,  that  here  with  you  were  the  boldest  war- 
riors that  ever  king  did  gain.  This  I  have  often  heard, 


16  THE   XIBELUNGENLIED 

and  that  I  might  know  it  of  a  truth,  therefore  am  I 
come.  Likewise  do  I  hear  boasting  of  your  valor,  that 
no  bolder  king  hath  ever  been  seen.  This  the  folk  re- 
late much  through  all  these  lands.  Therefore  will  I  not 
turn  back,  till  it  be  known  to  me.  I  also  am  a  warrior 
and  was  to  wear  a  crown.  Fain  would  I  bring  it  to 
pass  that  it  may  be  said  of  me :  Rightly  doth  he  rule 
both  folk  and  land.  Of  this  shall  my  head  and  honor 
be  a  pledge.  Now  be  ye  so  bold,  as  hath  been  told  me, 
I  reck  not  be  it  lief  or  loth  to  any  man,  I  will  gain 
from  you  whatso  ye  have  —  land  and  castles  shall  be 
subject  to  my  hand." 

The  king1  and  likewise  his  men  had  marvel  at  the 
tidings  they  here  heard,  that  he  was  willed  to  take  from 
them  their  land.  The  knights  waxed  wroth,  as  they 
heard  this  word.  "  How  have  I  earned  this,"  spake 
Gunther,  the  knight,  "that  we  should  lose  by  the  force 
of  any  man  that  which  my  father  hath  ruled  so  long 
with  honor?  We  should  let  it  ill  appear  that  we,  too, 
are  used  in  knightly  ways." 

"  In  no  wise  will  I  desist,"  spake  again  the  valiant 
man.  "  Unless  it  be  that  through  thy  strength  thy 
land  have  peace,  I  will  rule  it  all.  And  should  st  thou 
gain,  by  thy  strength,  my  ancestral  lands,  they  shall  be 
subject  to  thy  sway.  Thy  lands,  and  mine  as  well,  shall 
lie  alike ;  whether  of  us  twain  can  triumph  over  the 
other,  him  shall  both  land  and  people  serve." 

Hagen  and  Gemot,  too,  straightway  gainsaid  this. 
"  We  have  no  wish,"  spake  Gemot,  "  that  we  should 
conquer  aught  of  lands,  or  that  any  man  lie  dead  at 
hero's  hands.  We  have  rich  lands,  which  serve  us,  as 
is  meet,  nor  hath  any  a  better  claim  to  them  than  we." 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO   WORMS  17 

There  stood  his  kinsmen,  grim  of  mood ;  among 
them,  too,  Ortwin  of  Metz.  "  It  doth  irk  me  much  to 
hear  these  words  of  peace,"  spake  he ;  "  the  mighty 
Siegfried  hath  defied  you  for  no  just  cause.  Had  ye 
and  your  brothers  no  meet  defense,  and  even  if  he  led 
a  kingly  troop,  I  trow  well  so  to  fight  that  the  daring 
man  have  good  cause  to  leave  this  haughty  mien." 

At  this  the  hero  of  Netherland  grew  wonderly  wroth. 
He  spake  :  "  Thy  hand  shall  not  presume  against  me. 
I  am  a  mighty  king,  a  king's  vassal  thou.  Twelve  of 
thy  ilk  durst  not  match  me  in  strife." 

Then  Ortwin  of  Metz  called  loudly  for  swords. 
Well  was  he  fit  to  be  Hagen  of  Troneg's  sister's  son. 
It  rued  the  king  that  he  had  held  his  peace  so  long. 
Then  Gemot,  the  bold  and  lusty  knight,  came  in  be- 
tween. He  spake  to  Ortwin :  "  Now  give  over  thy 
anger.  Lord  Siegfried  hath  done  us  no  such  wrong,  but 
that  we  may  still  part  the  strife  in  courteous  wise.  Be 
advised  of  me  and  hold  him  still  as  friend  ;  far  better 
will  this  beseem  us." 

Then  spake  the  doughty  Hagen  :  "  It  may  well  grieve 
us  and  all  thy  knights  that  he  ever  rode  for  battle  to 
the  Rhine.  He  should  have  given  it  over  ;  my  lordings 
never  would  have  done  such  ill  to  him." 

To  this  Siegfried,  the  mighty  man,  made  answer: 
•'Doth  this  irk  you,  Sir  Hagen,  which  I  spake,  then 
will  I  let  you  see  that  my  hands  shall  have  dominion 
here  in  the  Burgundian  land." 

"  I  alone  will  hinder  this,"  answered  Gemot,  and  he 
forbade  his  knights  speak  aught  with  haughtiness 
that  might  cause  rue.  Siegfried,  too,  then  bethought 
him  of  the  noble  maid. 


28  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  How  might  it  beseem  us  to  fight  with  you  ?  "  spake 
Gemot  anew.  "  However  many  heroes  should  lie  dead 
because  of  this,  we  should  have  scant  honor  therefrom 
and  ye  but  little  gain." 

To  this  Siegfried,  the  son  of  Siegmund,  made  reply : 
"  Why  waiteth  Hagen,  and  Ortwin,  too,  that  he  hasteth 
not  to  fight  with  his  kin,  of  whom  he  hath  so  many 
here  in  Burgundy  ?  " 

At  this  all  held  their  peace  ;  such  was  Gernot's  coun- 
sel. Then  spake  Queen  Uta's  son :  "  Ye  shall  be  wel- 
come to  us  with  all  your  war-mates,  who  are  come  with 
you.  We  shall  gladly  serve  you,  I  and  all  my  kin." 

Then  for  the  guests  they  bade  pour  out  King  Gun- 
ther's  wine.  The  master  of  the  land  then  spake :  "  All 
that  we  have,  if  ye  desire  it  in  honorable  wise,  shall 
owe  fealty  to  you ;  with  you  shall  both  life  and  goods 
be  shared." 

At  this  Lord  Siegfried  grew  of  somewhat  gentler 
mood.  Then  they  bade  that  care  be  taken  of  the  armor 
of  the  guests.  The  best  of  hostels  that  men  might  find 
were  sought  for  Siegfried's  squires ;  great  easement 
they  gave  them.  Thereafter  they  gladly  saw  the  guest 
in  Burgundy.  Many  a  day  they  offered  him  great  wor- 
ship, a  thousand  fold  more  than  I  can  tell  you.  This 
his  prowess  wrought ;  ye  may  well  believe,  full  scant  a 
one  he  saw  who  was  his  foe. 

Whenever  the  lordings  and  their  liegemen  did  play 
at  knightly  games,  Siegfried  was  aye  the  best,  what- 
ever they  began.  Herein  could  no  one  match  him,  so 
mighty  was  his  strength,  whether  they  threw  the  stone 
or  hurled  the  shaft.  When  through  courtesie  the  full 
lusty  knights  made  merry  with  the  ladies,  there  were 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   CAME   TO   WORMS  19 

they  glad  to  see  the  hero  of  Netherland,  for  upon  high 
love  his  heart  was  bent.  He  was  aye  ready  for  whatso 
they  undertook,  but  in  his  heart  he  bare  a  lovely  maid, 
whom  he  had  never  seen.  She  too,  who  in  secret  spake 
full  well  of  him,  cherished  him  alone.  Whenever  the 
pages,  squires,  and  knights  would  play  their  games 
within  the  court,  Kriemhild,  the  noble  queen,  watched 
them  from  the  windows,  for  no  other  pastime  she 
needed  on  such  days.  Had  he  known  that  she  gazed  on 
him  thus,  whom  he  bare  within  his  heart,  then  had  he 
had  pastime  enough,  I  trow,  for  well  I  wot  that  no 
greater  joy  in  all  this  world  could  chance  to  him. 

"Whenever  he  stood  by  the  heroes  in  the  court,  as 
men  still  are  wont  to  do,  for  pastime's  sake,  so  win- 
some was  the  posture  of  Siegelind's  son,  that  many  a 
lady  loved  him  for  very  joy  of  heart.  But  he  bethought 
him  many  a  day :  "  How  shall  that  hap,  that  I  with 
mine  own  eyes  may  see  the  noble  maid,  whom  I  do 
love  with  all  my  heart  and  so  have  done  long  time. 
Sadly  must  I  stand,  sith  she  be  still  a  stranger  to  me." 

Whenever  the  mighty  kings  fared  forth  into  their 
land,  the  warriors  all  must  needs  accompany  them  at 
hand,  and  Siegfried,  too.  This  the  lady  rued,  and  he, 
too,  suffered  many  pangs  for  love  of  her.  Thus  he 
dwelt  with  the  lordings,  of  a  truth,  full  a  year  in 
Gunther's  land,  and  in  all  this  time  he  saw  not  once 
thVtevely  maid,  from  whom  in  later  days  there  happed 
to  him  much  joy  and  eke  much  woe. 


ADVENTUKE  IV 

HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS  * 

Now  there  came  strange  tales  to  Gunther's  land, 
through  messengers  sent  them  from  afar  —  tales  of 
unknown  warriors,  who  bare  them  hate.  When  they 
heard  this  word,  in  sooth  it  pleased  them  not.  These 
warriors  will  I  name  to  yon :  there  was  Liudeger  of 
Saxon  land,  a  great  and  lordly  prince,  and  then  from 
Denmark  Liudegast,  the  king.  For  their  journey  they 
had  gathered  many  a  lordly  stranger. 

To  Gunther's  land  were  come  the  messengers  his 
foes  had  sent.  Men  asked  the  strangers  for  their  tid- 
ings and  bade  them  hie  them  soon  to  court  unto  King 
Gunther.  The  king  gave  them  greeting  fair ;  he  spake : 
"  Be  ye  welcome.  I  have  not  heard  who  sent  you  hither, 
but  let  that  now  be  told."  So  spake  the  right  good 
king.  But  they  feared  full  sore  King  Gunther's  war- 
like mood. 

"  Will  ye,  O  King,  permit  that  we  tell  the  tales  we 
bring,  then  we  shall  not  hold  our  tongue,  but  name  to 
you  the  lordings  who  have  sent  us  hither :  Liudegast 
and  Liudeger;  they  would  march  upon  this  land.  Ye 
have  earned  their  wrath,  indeed  we  heard  that  both 
lords  bear  you  mortal  hate.  They  would  harry  at 
Worms  upon  the  Rhine  and  have  the  aid  of  many  a 
knight;  that  may  ye  know  upon  our  faith.  Within 
twelve  weeks  the  journey  must  befall.  And  ye  have 
aught  of  good  friends,  who  will  help  guard  your  castles 


HOW   HE   FOUGHT   WITH   THE   SAXONS        21 

and  your  lands,  let  this  soon  be  seen.  Here  shall  be 
carved  by  them  many  a  helm  and  shield.  Or  would  ye 
parley  with  them,  let  messengers  be  sent.  Then  the 
numerous  bands  of  your  mighty  foes  will  not  ride  so 
near  you,  to  give  you  pain  of  heart,  from  which  full 
many  a  lusty  knight  and  a  good  must  die." 

"  Now  bide  a  time,"  spake  the  good  king,  "  till  I 
bethink  me  better  ;  then  ye  shall  know  my  mind.  Have 
I  aught  of  trusty  men,  I  will  not  withhold  from  them 
these  startling  tales,  but  will  make  complaint  thereof 
unto  my  friends." 

To  Gunther,  the  mighty  king,  it  was  loth  enow,  but 
in  his  heart  he  bare  the  speech  in  secret  wise.  He  bade 
Hagen  be  fetched  and  others  of  his  men,  and  sent  eft- 
soon  to  court  for  Gemot.  Then  came  the  very  best  of 
men  that  could  be  found.  The  king  spake :  "  Men 
woidd  seek  us  here  in  this  our  land  with  mighty  armies, 
now  make  ye  wail  for  that." 

To  this  Gemot,  a  brave  and  lusty  knight,  made 
answer  :  "  That  will  we  fend  indeed  with  swords.  Only 
the  fey '  will  fall.  So  let  them  die ;  for  their  sake  I  will 
not  forget  my  honor.  Let  these  foes  of  ours  be  welcome 
to  us." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  This  thinketh  me  not 
good.  Liudegast  and  Liudeger  bear  great  arrogance  ; 
nor  can  we  summon  all  our  men  in  such  short  time. 
Why  tell  ye  not  Siegfried  of  the  thing?  "  So  spake  the 
valiant  knight. 

To  the  messengers  they  bade  give  lodging  in  the  town. 
Whatever  hate  they  bore  them,  yet  Gunther,  the  mighty, 
bade  purvey  them  well,  as  was  but  right,  till  he  dis- 
covered of  his  friends  who  there  was  who  would  lend 


22  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

him  aid.  Yet  in  his  fears  the  king  was  ill  at  ease.  Just 
then  full  blithe  a  knight,  who  wot  not  what  had  happed, 
saw  him  thus  sad  and  prayed  King  Gunther  to  tell  him 
of  the  matter.  "  Much  it  wondereth  me,"  spake  Sieg- 
fried, for  he  it  was,  "  that  ye  thus  have  changed  your 
merry  wont,  which  ye  have  used  thus  far  with  us." 

To  this  Gunther,  the  stately  knight,  replied :  "  It 
liketh  me  not  to  tell  all  folk  the  grievance  which  I 
must  bear  within  my  heart  in  secret  wise.  Only  to 
trusty  friends  should  one  confide  his  woe  of  heart." 

At  this  Siegfried's  color  waxed  both  pale  and  red. 
To  the  king  he  spake :  "  I  have  denied  you  naught  and 
will  gladly  help  you  turn  aside  your  woes.  And  ye  seek 
friends,  I  will  be  one  of  them  and  trow  well  to  deport 
mvself  with  honor  until  mine  end." 

"  Now  God  reward  you,  Sir  Siegfried,  your  speech 
thinketh  me  good,  and  though  your  prowess  help  me 
not,  yet  do  I  rejoice  to  hear  that  ye  are  friend  to  me, 
and  live  I  yet  a  while,  I  shall  repay  you  well.  I  will  let 
you  hear  why  I  stand  thus  sad ;  from  the  messengers 
of  my  foes  I  have  heard  that  they  would  visit  me  with 
war,  a  thing  which  knights  have  never  done  to  us  in 
all  these  lands." 

"Regard  this  lightly,"  spake  then  Siegfried,  "and 
calm  your  mood.  Do  as  I  pray  you.  Let  me  gain  for 
you  both  woi'ship  and  advantage  and  do  ye  command 
your  knights,  that  they  gather  to  your  aid.  Should  your 
mighty  foes  be  helped  by  thirty  thousand  *  men,  yet 
could  I  withstand  them,  had  I  but  a  thousand  ;  for  that 
rely  on  me." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  For  this  I  '11  serve  you 
ever." 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS    23 

"  So  bid  me  call  a  thousand  of  your  men,  since  of 
mine  own  I  have  but  twelve,  and  I  will  guard  your 
land.  Faithfully  shall  the  hand  of  Siegfried  serve  you. 
Hagen  shall  help  us  and  also  Ortwin,  Dankwart,  and 
Sindolt,  your  trusty  men.  Folker,  the  valiant  man,  shall 
also  ride  along  ;  he  shall  bear  the  banner,  for  to  none 
would  I  liefer  grant  it.  Let  now  the  envoys  ride  home 
to  their  masters'  lands.  Give  them  to  understand  they 
soon  shall  see  us,  that  our  castles  may  rest  in  peace." 

Then  the  king  bade  summon  both  his  kinsmen  and 
his  men.  The  messengers  of  Liudeger  betook  them  to 
the  court.  Fain  they  were  that  they  should  journey 
home  again.  Gunther,  the  good  king,  made  offrance  of 
rich  gifts  and  gave  them  safe-convoy.  At  this  their 
spirits  mounted  high.  "  Now  say  unto  my  foes,"  spake 
then  Gunther,  "  that  they  may  well  give  over  their  jour- 
ney and  stay  at  home ;  but  if  they  will  seek  me  here 
within  my  lands,  hardships  shall  they  know,  and  my 
friends  play  me  not  false." 

Rich  gifts  men  bare  then  for  the  envoys  ;  enow  of 
these  had  Gunther  to  bestow,  nor  durst  the  men  of 
Liudeger  refuse  them.  When  at  last  they  took  their 
leave,  they  parted  hence  in  merry  mood. 

Now  when  the  messengers  were  come  to  Denmark  and 
King  Liudegast  had  heard  how  they  parted  from  the 
Rhine,  as  was  told  him,  much  he  rued,  in  sooth,  their  x 
proud  defiance.  The  envoys  said  that  Gunther  had  full 
many  a  valiant  man-at-arms  and  among  them  they  saw 
a  warrior  stand,  whose  name  was  Siegfried,  a  hero  from 
Netherland.  Little  liked  it  Liudegast  when  he  heard 
aright  this  tale. 

When  the  men  of  Denmark  had  heard  these  tidings 


24  THE  XIBELUNGEXLIED 

told,  they  hasted  all  the  more  to  call  their  friends  ; 
till  Sir  Liudegast  had  gathered  for  his  journey  full 
twenty  thousand  knights  from  among  his  valiant  men. 
Then  King  Liudeger,  also,  of  Saxon  land,  sent  forth 
his  summons,  till  they  had  forty  thousand  men  and  more, 
with  whom  they  thought  to  ride  to  the  Burgundian  land. 

Likewise  at  home  King  Gunther  got  him  men-at-arms 
among  his  kin  and  the  liegemen  of  his  brothers,  and 
among  Hagen's  men  whom  they  wished  to  lead  thence 
for  battle.  Much  need  of  this  the  heroes  had,  but  war- 
riors soon  must  suffer  death  from  this.  Thus  they  made 
them  ready  for  the  journey.  When  they  would  hence, 
Folker,  the  daring,  must  bear  the  flag.  In  such  wise 
they  thought  to  ride  from  Worms  across  the  Rhine. 
Hagen  of  Troneg  was  master  of  the  troop ;  with  them 
rode  Sindolt  and  Hunolt,  too,  who  wist  well  how  to 
merit  Gunther's  gold.  Dankwart,  Hagen's  brother,  and 
Ortwin,  too,  well  could  they  serve  with  honor  in  this 
war. 

"  Sir  King,"  spake  then  Siegfried,  "  stay  ye  at 
home  :  since  that  your  warriors  are  willed  to  follow  me, 
remain  ye  with  the  ladies  and  keep  your  spirits  high. 
I  trow  well  to  guard  for  you  both  honor  and  estate. 
Well  will  I  bring  it  to  pass  that  those  who  thought  to 
seek  you  out  at  Worms  upon  the  Rhine,  had  better  far 
have  stayed  at  home.  We  shall  ride  so  nigh  unto  their 
land  that  their  proud  defiance  shall  be  turned  to  fear." 

From  the  Rhine  thev  rode  through  Hesse  with  their 
warriors  towards  Saxon  land,  where  they  later  fought. 
With  fire  and  pillage,  too,  they  harried  all  the  country- 
side, so  that  the  two  kings  did  learn  of  it  in  dire  dis- 
tress.   Then  came  they  to  the    border ;  the  warriors 


HOW   HE   FOUGHT  WITH   THE   SAXONS        25 


marched  along.  Siegfried,  the  strong-,  gan  ask  :  "  AVho 
shall  now  guard  here  the  troop  ?  ""  Forsooth  never  did 
men  ride  more  seathf  ully  to  the  Saxons.  They  spake  : 
"  Let  the  valiant  Dankwart  guard  the  young  upon  the 
way,  he  is  a  doughty  knight.  Thus  shall  we  lose  the 
less  through  Liudeger's  men.  Let  him  and  Ortwin 
guard  the  rear." 

"  Then  I  myself  will  ride,"  spake  Siegfried,  the 
knight.  "  and  play  the  outlook  toward  the  foe,  until  I 
discover  aright  where  these  warriors  be."  Quickly  the 
son  of  fair  Siegelind  donned  his  harness.  The  troop 
he  gave  in  charge  to  Hagen,  when  he  would  depart. 
and  to  Gemot,  the  valiant  man.  Thus  he  rode  hence 
into  the  Saxon  land  alone  and  many  a  helmet  band  he 
cut  to  pieces  on  that  day.  Soon  he  spied  the  mighty 
host  that  lay  encamped  upon  the  plain  and  far  out- 
weighed the  forces  of  his  men.  Forty  thousand  or  bet- 
ter still  there  were.  Full  blithely  Siegfried  saw  this  in 
lofty  mood.  Meantime  a  warrior  full  well  arrayed  had 
mounted  to  the  outlook  'gainst  the  foe.  Him  Sir  Sieg- 
fried  spied,  and  the  bold  man  saw  him,  too.  Each 
began  to  watch  the  other  in  hostile  wise.  AVho  it  was, 
who  stood  on  guard,  I'll  tell  you  now;  a  gleaming 
shield  of  gold  lay  by  his  hand.  It  was  the  good.  King 
Liudega-t.  who  was  guarding  here  his  band.  The  noble 
stranger  pricked  along  in  lordly  wise. 

Now  had  Sir  Liudegast  espied  him  with  hostile  eye. 
Into  the  flanks  of  their  horse-  they  plunged  the  spurs; 
with  all  their  might  they  couched  the  spears  against 
the  shields.  At  this  great  fear  befell  the  mighty  king. 
After  the  thrust  the  horses  carried  past  each  other  the 
royal  knights,  as  though  borne  upon  the  wind.   With 


26  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

the  bridles  they  wheeled  in  knightly  wise  and  the  two 
fierce  champions  encountered  with  their  swords.  Then 
smote  Sir  Siegfried,  so  that  the  whole  field  did  ring. 
Through  the  hero's  hand  from  out  the  helmets,  as  from 
firebrands,  flew  the  bright  red  sparks.  Each  in  the 
other  found  his  match.  Sir  Liudegast,  too,  struck  many 
a  savage  blow  ;  the  might  of  each  broke  full  upon  the 
shields.  Thirty  of  Liudegast's  men  stood  there  on  guard, 
but  ere  they  could  come  to  his  aid,  Siegfried  had  won 
the  fight,  with  three  great  wounds  which  he  dealt  the 
king  through  his  gleaming  breastplate,  the  which  was 
passing  good.  The  blood  from  the  wounds  gushed  forth 
along  the  edges  of  the  sword,  whereat  King  Liudegast 
stood  in  sorry  mood.  He  begged  for  life  and  made  of- 
france  of  his  lands  and  said  that  his  name  was  Liude- 
gast. Then  came  his  warriors,  who  had  witnessed  what 
there  had  happed  upon  the  lookout.  As  Siegfried 
would  lead  his  captive  thence,  he  was  set  upon  by 
thirty  of  these  men.  With  mighty  blows  the  hero's 
hand  guarded  his  noble  prize.  The  stately  knight  then 
wrought  worse  scathe.  In  self-defense  he  did  thirty 
unto  death  ;  only  one  he  left  alive,  who  rode  full  fast 
to  tell  the  tale  of  what  here  had  chanced.  By  his 
reddened  helmet  one  might  see  the  truth.  It  sorely 
grieved  the  men  of  Denmark,  when  the  tale  was  told 
them  that  their  king  was  taken  captive.  Men  told  it 
to  his  brother,  who  at  the  news  began  to  rage  with 
monstrous  wrath,  for  great  woe  it  brought  him. 

Liudegast,  the  warrior,  then  was  led  away  by  Sieg- 
fried's might  to  Gunther's  men  and  given  to  Hagen 
in  charge.  When  that  they  heard  it  was  the  king,  full 
moderate  was  their  dole.  The  Burgundians  now  were 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS    27 

bidden  raise  their  banner.  "  Up,  men,"  cried  Siegfried, 
"  here  shall  more  be  done,  ere  the  day  end,  and  I  lose 
not  my  life.  Full  many  a  stately  dame  in  Saxon  land 
shall  rue  this  fight.  Ye  heroes  from  the  Rhine,  give 
heed  to  me,  for  I  can  guide  you  well  to  Liudeger's 
band.  So  shall  ye  see  helmets  carved  by  the  hands  of 
goodly  knights  ;  ere  we  turn  again,  they  shall  become 
acquaint  with  fear." 

To  their  horses  Gemot  and  all  his  men  now  hasted, 
and  soon  the  stalwart  minstrel,  Sir  Folker,  grasped 
the  battle-flag  and  rode  before  the  band.  Then  were 
all  the  comrades  arrayed  in  lordly  wise  for  strife  ;  nor 
had  they  more  than  a  thousand  men,  and  thereto  Sieg- 
fried's twelve  men-at-arms.  Now  from  the  road  gan 
rise  the  dust,  as  across  the  land  they  rode  ;  many  a 
lordly  shield  was  seen  to  gleam  from  out  their  midst. 
There,  too,  were  come  the  Saxons  with  their  troops 
and  well-sharpened  swords,  as  I  since  have  heard.  Sore 
cut  these  weapons  in  the  heroes'  hands,  for  they  would 
fain  guard  both  their  castles  and  their  land  against  the 
strangers.  The  lordings'  marshals  led  on  the  troop. 
Siegfried,  too,  was  come  with  his  men-at-arms,  whom 
he  had  brought  from  Netherland.  In  the  storm  of  bat- 
tle many  a  hand  this  day  grew  red  with  blood.  Sindolt 
and  Hunolt  and  Gemot,  too,  slew  many  a  knight  in 
the  strife,  ere  these  rightly  knew  the  boldness  of  their 
foes.  This  many  a  stately  dame  must  needs  bewail. 
Folker  and  Hagen  and  Ortwin,  too,  dimmed  in  the 
battle  the  gleam  of  many  a  helm  with  flowing  blood, 
these  storm-bold  men.  By  Dankwart,  too,  great  deeds 
were  done. 

The  men  of  Denmark  proved  well  their  hands  ,-  one 


28  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

heard  many  a  shield  resounding  from  the  hurtling  and 
from  the  sharp  swords  as  well,  many  of  which  were 
wielded  there.  The  battle-bold  Saxons  did  scathe  enow, 
but  when  the  men  of  Burgundy  pressed  to  the  fight, 
by  them  was  many  a  wide  wound  carved.  Then  down 
across  the  saddles  the  blood  was  seen  to  flow.  Thus 
they  fought  for  honors,  these  knights  both  bold  and 
good.  Loud  rang  the  sharp  weapons  in  the  heroes' 
hands,  as  those  of  Netherland  followed  their  lording 
through  the  sturdy  host.  Valiantly  they  forced  their 
way  in  Siegfried's  wake,  but  not  a  knight  from  the 
Rhine  was  seen  to  follow.  Through  the  shining  helmets 
one  could  see  flow  the  bloody  stream,  drawn  forth  by 
Siegfried's  hand,  till  at  last  he  found  Liudeger  before 
his  men-at-arms.  Thrice  had  he  pierced  the  host  from 
end  to  end.  Now  was  Hagen  come,  who  helped  him 
achieve  in  the  battle  all  his  mind.  Before  them  many 
a  good  knight  must  needs  die  this  day. 

When  the  mighty  Liudeger  espied  Siegfried  and 
saw  that  he  bore  high  in  hand  the  good  sword  Bal- 
mung  and  did  slay  so  many  a  man,  then  waxed  the 
lording  wroth  and  fierce  enow.  A  mighty  surging  and 
a  mighty  clang  of  swords  arose,  as  their  comrades 
pressed  against  each  other.  The  two  champions  tried 
their  prowess  all  the  more.  The  troops  began  to  yield  ; 
fierce  grew  the  hate.  To  the  ruler  of  the  Saxons  the 
tale  was  told  that  his  brother  had  been  captured  ;  great 
dole  this  gave  him.  Well  he  knew  it  was  the  son  of 
Siegelind  who  had  done  the  deed.  Men  blamed  Sir 
Gemot,  but  later  he  learned  the  truth. 

So  mighty  were  the  blows  of  Liudeger  that  Sieg- 
fried's charger  reeled  beneath  the  saddle.  When  the 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS   29 

steed  recovered,  bold  Siegfried  took  on  a  frightful 
usance  in  the  fray.  In  this  Hagen  helped  him  well, 
likewise  Gemot,  Dankwart,  and  Folker,  too.  Through 
them  lay  many  dead.  Likewise  Sindolt  and  Hunolt 
and  Ortwin,  the  knight,  laid  many  low  in  strife;  side 
by  side  in  the  fray  the  noble  princes  stood.  One  saw 
above  the  helmets  many  a  spear,  thrown  by  hero's 
hand,  hurtling  through  the  gleaming  shields.  Blood- 
red  was  colored  many  a  lordly  buckler  ;  many  a  man 
in  the  fierce  conflict  was  unhorsed.  At  each  other  ran 
Siegfried,  the  brave,  and  Liudeger ;  shafts  were  seen 
to  fly  and  many  a  keen-edged  spear.  Then  off  flew  the 
shield-plates,  struck  by  Siegfried's  hand  ;  the  hero  of 
Netherland  thought  to  win  the  battle  from  the  valiant 
Saxons,  wondrous  many  of  whom  one  saw.  Ho  !  how 
many  shining  armor-rings  the  daring  Dankwart  broke  ! 
Then  Sir  Liudeger  espied  a  crown  painted  on  the 
shield  in  Siegfried's  hand.  Well  he  knew  that  it  was 
Siegfried,  the  mighty  man.  To  his  friends  the  hero 
loudly  called:  "  Desist  ye  from  the  strife,  my  men, 
here  I  have  seen  the  son  of  Siegmund,  Siegfried,  the 
strong,  and  recognized  him  well.  The  foul  fiend  him- 
self hath  sent  him  hither  to  the  Saxon  land."  The 
banners  bade  he  lower  in  the  fight.  Peace  he  craved, 
and  this  was  later  granted  him,  but  he  must  needs  go 
as  hostage  to  Gunther's  land.  This  was  wrung  from 
him  by  valiant  Siegfried's  hand.  With  one  accord 
they  then  gave  over  the  strife  and  laid  aside  the  many 
riddled  helmets  and  the  broad,  battered  bucklers. 
Whatever  of  these  was  found,  bore  the  hue  of  blood 
from  the  Burgundians'  hand.  They  captured  whom 
they  would,  for  this  lay  in  their  power.  Gemot  and 


30  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Hagen,  the  full  bold  warriors,  bade  bear  away  the 
wounded  ;  five  hundred  stately  men  they  led  forth 
captive  to  the  Rhine.  The  worsted  knights  rode  back 
to  Denmark,  nor  had  the  Saxons  fought  so  well  that 
one  could  give  them  aught  of  praise,  and  this  the 
heroes  rued  full  sore.  The  fallen,  too,  were  greatly 
mourned  by  friends. 

Then  they  bade  place  the  weapons  on  sumpters  for 
the  Rhine.  Siegfried,  the  warrior,  and  his  heroes  had 
wrought  full  well,  as  Gunther's  men  must  needs  con- 
fess. Sir  Gemot  now  sent  messengers  homeward  to 
Worms  in  his  native  land,  and  bade  tell  his  kin  what 
great  success  had  happed  to  him  and  to  his  men,  and 
how  these  daring  knights  had  striven  well  for  honor. 
The  squirelings  ran  and  told  the  tale.  Then  those  who 
afore  had  sorrowed,  were  blithe  for  joy  at  the  pleasing 
tidings  that  were  come.  Much  questioning  was  heard 
from  noble  dames,  how  it  had  fared  with  the  liegemen 
of  the  mighty  king.  One  of  the  messengers  they  bade 
go  to  Kriemhild ;  this  happed  full  secretly  (openly  she 
durst  not),  for  she,  too,  had  amongst  them  her  own 
true  love.  When  she  saw  the  messenger  coming  to  her 
bower,  fair  Kriemhild  spake  in  kindly  wise :  "  Now 
tell  me  glad  news,  I  pray.  And  thou  dost  so  without 
deceit,  I  will  give  thee  of  my  gold  and  will  ever  be 
thy  friend.  How  fared  forth  from  the  battle  my  brother 
Gemot  and  others  of  my  kin?  Are  many  of  them 
dead  perchance?  Or  who  wrought  there  the  best?  This 
thou  must  tell  me." 

Quickly  then  the  envoy  spake :  "  Ne'er  a  coward 
did  we  have,  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  O  noble  queen, 
none  rode  so  well  to  the  strife  and  fray,  as  did  the 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS    31 

noble  stranger  from  Netherlancl.  Mickle  wonders  the 
hand  of  valiant  Siegfried  wrought.  "Whate'er  the 
knights  have  done  in  strife,  Dankwart  and  Hagen 
and  other  men  of  the  king,  however  mucE~~~they 
strove  for  honor,  'tis  but  as  the  wind  compared  with 
Siegfried,  the  son  of  Siegmund,  the  king.  They  slew 
full  many  a  hei-o  in  the  fray,  but  none  might  tell  you 
of  the  wonders  which  Siegfried  wrought,  whenever 
he  rode  into  the  fight.  Great  woe  he  did  the  ladies 
through  their  kin  ;  upon  the  field  the  love  of  many  a 
dame  lay  dead.  His  blows  were  heard  to  ring  so  loud 
upon  the  helmets,  that  from  the  wounds  they  drew 
forth  the  blood  in  streams.  In  every  knightly  art  he 
is  a  worthy  knight  and  a  brave.  Whatever  Ortwin  of 
Metz  achieved  (and  he  whom  he  could  reach  with  his 
good  sword,  fell  sorely  wounded,  but  mostly  dead),  yet 
your  brother  wrought  the  direst  woe  that  could  ever 
chance  in  battle.  One  must  say  of  the  chosen  knights 
in  truth,  that  these  proud  Burgundians  acquitted  them 
so  well  that  they  can  well  preserve  their  honor  from 
every  taint  of  shame.  Through  their  hands  we  saw 
many  a  saddle  bare,  while  the  field  resounded  with  the 
flashing  swords.  So  well  rode  the  warriors  from  the 
Rhine,  that  it  were  better  for  their  foes  had  it  been 
avoided.  The  valiant  men  of  Troneg,  also,  wrought 
dire  woe,  when  in  great  numbers  the  armies  met.  Bold 
Hagen's  hand  did  many  a  one  to  death ;  of  this  full 
many  stories  might  be  told  here  in  the  Burgundian 
land.  Sindolt  and  Ilunolt,  Gernot's  men,  Rumolt  the 
brave,  have  done  such  deeds  that  it  may  well  ever  rue 
Liudeger  that  he  made  war  upon  thy  kinsmen  by  the 
Rhine.  The  very  best  fight  that  happed  from  first  to 


32  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

last,  that  one  has  ever  seen,  was  made  full  lustily  by 
Siegfried's  hand.  Rich  hostages  he  bringeth  to  Gun- 
ther's  land.  He  won  them  by  his  prowess,  this  stately 
man.  Of  this  King  Liudegast  must  bear  the  loss  and 
eke  his  brother  Liudeger  of  Saxon  land.  Now  listen  to 
my  tale,  most  noble  queen :  by  the  hand  of  Siegfried 
the  twain  were  caught.  Never  have  men  brought  so 
many  hostages  to  this  land,  as  now  are  coming  to  the 
Rhine  through  him.  Men  are  bringing  to  our  land 
five  hundred  or  more  unharmed  captives ;  and  of  the 
deadly  wounded,  my  lady,  know,  not  less  than  eighty 
blood-red  biers.  These  men  were  mostly  wounded  by 
bold  Siegfried's  hand.  Those  who  in  haughty  pride 
sent  a  challenge  to  the  Rhine,  must  now  needs  be  the 
captives  of  Gunther,  the  king,  and  men  are  bringing 
them  with  joy  unto  this  land." 

Still  higher  rose  Kriemhild's  color  when  she  heard 
this  tale.  Her  fair  face  blushed  a  rosy  red,  that  Sieg- 
fried, the  youth,  the  stately  knight,  had  fared  forth  so 
joyfully  from  the  dangerous  strife.  These  tidings  could 
not  have  pleased  her  better.  For  her  kinsmen,  too,  she 
rejoiced  in  duty  bound.  Then  spake  the  lovely  maid  : 
"  A  fair  tale  thou  hast  told  me  ;  therefore  shalt  thou 
have  as  guerdon  rich  attire.  Likewise  I  '11  have  thee 
brought  ten  marks l  of  gold."  Small  wonder  that  such 
tales  are  gladly  told  to  noble  dames. 

They  gave  him  then  his  guerdon,  the  garments  and 
the  gold.  Then  many  a  fair  maid  hied  her  to  the  case- 
ment and  gazed  upon  the  street,  where  many  high- 
mettled  warriors  were  seen  riding  into  the  Burgundian 
land.  There  came  the  champions,  the  wounded  and 
the  sound.   Without  shame  they  heard  the  greetings  of 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS    33 

their  friends.  Merrily  the  host  rode  forth  to  meet  his 
guests,  for  his  great  sorrow  had  been  turned  to  joy. 
"Well  greeted  he  his  vassals  and  the  strangers,  too  ;  for 
it  was  only  meet  that  the  mighty  king  in  courtly  wise 
should  thank  those  who  were  come  back  to  him,  be- 
cause in  the  storm  of  battle  they  had  won  the  fight 
with  honor.  Gunther  bade  his  kinsmen  tell  who  had 
been  slain  upon  the  march ;  but  sixty  had  been  lost, 
whom  one  must  mourn,  as  is  the  wont  with  heroes. 
Many  a  riven  shield  and  battered  helm  the  unharmed 
warriors  brought  to  Gunther's  land.  The  men  alighted 
from  their  steeds  before  the  palace  of  the  king.  Loud 
was  heard  the  joyous  sound  of  the  merry  welcome ; 
then  order  was  given  to  lodge  the  warriors  in  the  town. 
The  king  bade  minister  well  unto  his  guests,  attend  the 
wounded  and  give  them  good  easement.  His  courtesie 
was  clearly  seen  upon  his  foes.  He  spake  to  Liude- 
gast :  "  Now  be  ye  welcome.  Much  damage  have  I 
ta'en  because  of  you  :  for  this  I  shall  now  be  repaid, 
if  fortune  favor.  God  reward  my  kinsmen,  for  they 
have  given  me  joy." 

"  Well  may  ye  thank  them,"  answered  Liudeger ; 
"  such  noble  hostages  hath  king  never  gained  afore. 
For  fair  treatment  we  offer  great  store  of  wealth,  that 
ye  may  act  with  mercy  towards  your  foes." 

"  I  will  let  you  both  go  free,"  spake  Gunther,  "  but 
I  must  have  surety  that  my  foes  remain  here  with  me, 
that  they  do  not  leave  the  land  against  my  will."  To 
that  Liudeger  pledged  his  hand. 

Men  brought  them  to  their  lodgings  and  gave  them 
easement.  The  wounded  were  bedded  well,  and  for  the 
sound  were  poured  out  good  mead  and  wine.    Never 


34  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

could  the  comrades  have  been  more  merry.  Their  bat- 
tered shields  were  borne  away  for  keeping,  and  enow 
there  was  of  bloody  saddles  which  one  bade  hide  away, 
that  the  ladies  might  not  weep.  Many  a  good  knight 
returned  aweary  from  the  fray.  The  king  did  make 
his  guests  great  cheer.  His  lands  were  full  of  strangers 
and  of  home-folk.  He  bade  ease  the  sorely  wounded  in 
kindly  wise ;  their  haughty  pride  was  now  laid  low. 
Men  offered  to  the  leeches  rich  rewards,  silver  without 
weight  and  thereto  shining  gold,  if  they  would  heal  the 
heroes  from  the  stress  of  war.  To  his  guests  the  king 
likewise  gave  great  gifts.  Those  that  were  minded  to 
set  out  for  home,  were  asked  to  stay,  as  one  doth  to 
friends.  The  king  bethought  him  how  he  might  requite 
his  men,  for  they  had  brought  to  pass  his  wish  for  fame 
and  honor. 

Then  spake  Lord  Gemot :  "  Let  them  ride  away, 
but  be  it  made  known  to  them  that  in  six  weeks  they 
must  come  again  for  a  mighty  feast.  By  then  will  many 
a  one  be  healed  who  now  lieth  sorely  wounded." 

Then  Siegfried  of  Netherland  also  asked  for  leave, 
but  when  King  Gunther  learned  his  wish,  lovingly  he 
bade  him  stay  erstwhile.  Were  it  not  for  the  king's 
sister,  this  were  never  done.  He  was  too  rich  to  take 
reward,  though  he  well  deserved  it  and  the  king  liked 
him  well,  as  also  did  the  kinsmen,  who  had  seen  what 
happed  in  battle  through  his  strength.  For  the  sake 
of  one  fair  lady  he  thought  to  stay,  if  perchance  he 
might  espy  her.  Later  it  was  done,  and  accord ing  to 
his  wish  he  met  the  maid.  He  rode  thereafter  joyfully 
to  Siegnrand's  land. 

At  all  times  the  host  bade  practice  knighthood,  and 


HOW  HE  FOUGHT  WITH  THE  SAXONS    35 

many  a  youthful  knight  did  this  right  gladly.  Mean- 
while he  ordered  seats  prepared  upon  the  sand  before 
the  town  of  Worms  for  those  who  were  to  visit  him 
in  the  Burgundian  land.  At  the  time  when  they  should 
come,  fair  Kriemhild  heard  it  said  that  the  king  would 
hold  a  feasting  for  the  sake  of  his  dear  friends.  Then 
comely  women  hasted  apace  with  robes  and  headgear 
which  they  were  to  don.  The  noble  Uta  heard  tales 
told  of  the  proud  warriors  who  were  to  come.  Then 
many  rich  dresses  were  taken  from  the  press.  To 
please  her  children  she  bade  make  garments  ready, 
that  many  ladies  and  many  maids  might  therewith  be 
decked  and  many  youthful  knights  of  the  Burgundian 
land.  Also  for  many  of  the  strangers  she  bade  fashion 
lordly  robes. 


ADVENTURE   V 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    FIRST    SAW    KRIEMHILD 

One  saw  daily  riding  to  the  Rhine  those  who  would 
fain  be  at  the  feasting.  Full  many  of  these  who  for 
the  king's  sake  were  come  into  the  land,  were  given 
steeds  and  lordly  harness.  Seats  were  prepared  for  all, 
for  the  highest  and  the  best,  as  we  are  told,  for  two 
and  thirty  princes  at  the  feast.  For  this,  too,  the  fair 
ladies  vied  in  their  attire.  Giselher,  the  youth,  was 
an .^lit  but  idle ;  he  and  Gemot  and  all  their  men  re- 
ceived the  friends  and  strangers.  In  truth,  they  gave 
the  knights  right  courtly  greetings.  These  brought 
inlo  the  land  many  a  saddle  of  golden  red,  dainty 
shields  and  lordly  armor  to  the  feasting  on  the  Rhine. 
Many  a  wounded  man  was  seen  full  merry  since.  Even 
those  who  lay  abed  in  stress  of  wounds,  must  needs 
forget  the  bitterness  of  death.  Men  ceased  to  mourn  for 
the  weak  and  sick  and  joyed  in  prospect  of  the  festal 
day,  and  how  well  they  would  fare  at  the  feasting  of 
the  king.  Pleasure  without  stint  and  overabundance 
of  joy  pervaded  all  the  folk  which  there  were  seen. 
Therefore  great  rejoicing  arose  throughout  the  whole 
of  Gunther's  land. 

Upon  a  Whitsun  morning  five  thousand  or  more 
brave  men,  clad  in  glad  attire,  were  seen  going  forth 
to  the  high  festal  tide.  On  all  sides  they  vied  with 
each  other  in  knightly  sports.  The  host  marked  well, 
what  he  already  wot,  how  from  his  very  heart  the  hero 


HOW  SIEGFRIED   FIRST   SAW   KRIEMHILD     37 

of  Netherland  did  love  his  sister,  albeit  lie  had  never 
seen  her,  whose  comeliness  men  praised  above  all  maids. 
Then  spake  the  knight  Ortwin  to  the  king  :  "  Would 
ye  have  full  honor  at  your  feast,  so  should  ye  let  be 
seen  the  charming  maids,  who  live  in  such  high  honors 
here  in  Burgundy.  What  were  the  joy  of  man,  what 
else  could  give  him  pleasure,  but  pretty  maids  and 
noble  dames  ?  Pray  let  your  sister  go  forth  before  the 
guests."  To  the  joy  of  many  a  hero  was  this  counsel 
given. 

"  This  will  I  gladly  do,"  spake  then  the  king,  and 
all  who  heard  it  were  merry  at  the  thought.  Then 
bade  he  say  to  the/Lady  Uta/and  her  comely  daughter, 
that  with  their  maidens  they  should  come  to  court. 
From  the  presses  they  took  fair  raiment  and  whatso 
of  rich  attire  was  laid  away.  Of  rings  and  ribbons, 
too,  enow  they  had.  Thus  each  stately  maiden  decked 
herself  with  zeal.  Full  many  a  youthful  knight  upon 
that  day  was  of  the  mingLthat  Jie  was  so  fair  to  look 
upon_for4adtes,  that  he  would  not  exchange  this  chance 
for  the  lands  of  any  mighty  king.  Gladly  they  gazed 
on  those  whom  till  now  they  had  not  known.  Then  bade 
the  mighty  king  full  a  hundred  of  his  men,  who  were 
his  kin  and  hers,  escort  his  sister  and  serve  her  thus. 
These  were  the  court  retainers  of  the  Burgundian  land 
and  carried  swords  in  hand.  Soon  one  saw  the  noble 
Uta  coming  with  her  child.  Full  hundred  or  more  fair 
ladies  had  she  taken  for  her  train,  who  wore  rich 
robes.  Likewise  there  followed  her  daughter  many  a 
stately  maid.  When  from  out  a  bower  men  saw  them 
come,  there  rose  a  mighty  press  of  knights  who  had 
the  hope,  if  that  might  be,  to  gaze  with  joy  upon  the 


38  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

noble  maid.  Now  came  she  forth,  the  lovely  fair,  as 
doth  the  red  of  dawn  from  out  the  lowering  clouds. 
He  then  was  reft  of  many  woes  who  bore  her  in  his 
heart  so  long  a  time,  when  he  saw  the  lovely  maid 
stand  forth  so  glorious.  How  shone  full  many  a  pre- 
cious stone  upon  her  robes !  In  lovely  wise  her  rose- 
red  hue  appeared.  Whatever  one  might  wish,  he  could 
not  but  confess  that  never  in  the  world  had  he  beheld 
a  fairer  maid.  As  the  radiant  moon,  whose  sheen  is 
thrown  so  brightly  on  the  clouds,  doth  stand  before 
the  stars,  so  stood  she  now  before  full  many  a  stately 
dame.  Therefore  higher  rose  the  spirits  of  the  comely 
knights.  Richly  appareled  chamberlains  marched  on 
in  front,  while  the  high-mettled  warriors  forsooth  must 
press  where  they  might  see  the  lovely  maid.  At  this 
Lord  Siegfried  felt  both  joy  and  dole.  To  himself  he 
thought :  "  How  could  that  chance,  that  I  should  love 
thee  ?  That  is  a  foolish  dream.  But  if  I  now  must  lose 
thee,  then  were  I  better  dead."  At  thought  of  this  his 
color  came  and  went.  There  stood  the  son  of  Siegmund 
in  such  dainty  grace,  as  he  were  limned  on  parchment 
by  skillful  master's  art.  Indeed  'twas  said  of  him  that 
never  had  so  fair  a  knight  been  seen.  The  escort  of 
the  ladies  now  bade  everywhere  give  way  and  many 
a  man  obeyed.  These  high-born  hearts  rejoiced  full 
many  a  wight,  as  thus  so  many  a  noble  dame  appeared 
in  courtly  bearing. 

Then  spake  Lord  Gemot  of  Burgundy :  "  Dear  bro- 
ther Gunther,  him  who  offered  service  in  such  kindly 
wise,  ye  should  in  like  manner  requite  before  these 
knights ;  nor  shall  I  ever  rue  this  counsel.  Bid  Sieg- 
fried now  approach  my  sister,  that  the  maid  may  greet 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   FIRST  SAW   KRIEMHILD     39 

him  ;  this  will  ever  be  our  gain.  She  who  never  greeted 
warrior  shall  greet  him  fair,  that  by  this  means  we  now 
may  win  the  stately  knight." 

Then  went  the  kinsmen  of  the  host  to  fetch  the  hero. 
To  the  champion  from  Netherlancl  they  spake  :  "  You 
hath  the  king  permitted  to  go  to  court ;  his  sister  is  to 
greet  you.  This  hath  he  decreed  to  do  you  honor." 

At  this  the  lord  grew  blithe  of  mood,  for  in  his  heart 
he  bare  joy  without  alloy,  that  he  thus  should  see  fair 
Uta's  child.  With  lovely  grace  she  greeted  Siegfried 
then,  but  when  she  saw  the  haughty  knight  stand  thus 
before  her,  her  cheeks  flamed  bright.  "  Be  welcome,  Sir 
Siegfried,  most  good  and  noble  knight,"  the  fair  maid 
spake,  and  at  this  greeting  his  spirits  mounted  high. 
Courteously  he  made  obeisance ;  she  took  him  by  the 
hand.  How  gallantly  he  walked  by  the  lady's  side !  Upon 
each  other  this  lord  and  lady  gazed  with  kindling  eyes. 
Full  secretly  this  happed.  Was  perchance  a  white  hand 
there  fervently  pressed  by  heart-felt  love?  That  know 
I  not ;  yet  I  cannot  believe  that  this  was  left  undone, 
for  soon  had  she  betrayed  to  him  her  love.  Nevermore 
in  summertide  nor  in  the  days  of  May  bare  he  within 
his  heart  such  lofty  joy  as  now  he  gained,  when  hand 
in  hand  he  walked  with  her  whom  he  fain  would  call 
his  love. 

Then  thought  full  many  a  knight:  "Had  that  but 
happed  to  me,  to  walk  thus  with  her  hand  in  hand,  as 
now  I  see  him  do,  or  to  lie  beside  her,  I  'd  bear  it  will- 

mgly." 

Never  has  warrior  better  served  to  gain  a  queen. 
From  whatever  land  the  guests  were  come,  all  gazed 
alike  upon  this  pair  alone.    She  then  was  bidden  kiss 


40  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

the  stately  man,  to  whom  no  such  delight  had  ever-hap. 
pened  in  this  world. 

Then  spake  the  king  of  Denmark  :  "  Because  of  this 
high  greeting  many  a  warrior  lieth  wounded  (this  wot 
I  well),  through  Siegfried's  hand.  God  grant  that  he 
may  never  come  again  to  my  kingly  lands." 

On  all  sides  they  bade  make  way  for  Kriemhild,  as 
thus  to  church  one  saw  her  go  with  many  a  valiant 
knight  in  courtly  wise.  Then  soon  the  stately  knight 
was  parted  from  her  side.  Thus  went  she  to  the  min- 
ster, followed  by  many  a  dame.  So  full  of  graces  was 
this  queenly  maid  that  many  a  daring  wish  must  needs 
be  lost.  Born  she  was  to  be  the  eyes'  delight  of  many 
a  knight.  Siegfried  scarce  could  wait  till  mass  was  sung. 
Well  might  he  thank  his  fortune  that  she  did  favor  him, 
whom  thus  he  bare  in  heart.  Cause  enow  he  had  to  love 
the  fair. 

When  she  came  forth  from  out  the  minster,  they 
begged  the  gallant  knight  again  to  bear  her  company, 
as  he  had  done  afore.  Then  first  the  lovely  maid  began 
to  thank  him  that  he  had  fought  so  gloriously  before 
so  many  knights.  "Now  God  requite  you,  Sir  Sieg- 
fried," spake  the  comely  maid,  "  that  ye  have  brought 
to  pass  with  your  service,  that  the  warriors  do  love  you 
with  such  fealty  as  I  hear  them  say." 

Then  upon  Dame  Kriemhild  he  began  to  gaze  in 
loving  wise.  "  I  will  serve  them  ever,"  spake  then  the 
knight,  "  and  while  life  shall  last,  never  will  I  lay  my 
head  to  rest  till  I  have  done  their  will;  and  this  I  do, 
my  Lady  Kriemhild,  to  win  your  love." 

A  twelfth-night  long,  on  each  and  every  day,  one 
saw  the  winsome  maid  beside  the  knight,  when  she 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   FIRST  SAW   KRIEMHILD     41 

should  go  to  court  to  meet  her  kin.  This  service  was 
done  from  sheer  delight.  A  great  rout  of  joy  and  plea- 
sure was  daily  seen  in  front  of  Gunther's  hall,  without 
and  eke  within,  from  many  a  daring  man.  Oitwin 
and  Hagen  began  to  do  great  marvels.  Whatever  any 
wished  to  play,  these  lusty  knights  were  fully  ready; 
thus  they  became  well  known  to  all  the  guests  and  so 
the  whole  of  Gunther's  land  was  decked  with  honor. 
Those  who  had  lain  wounded  were  now  seen  coming 
forth ;  they,  too,  would  fain  have  pastime  with  the 
troop  and  guard  themselves  with  bucklers  and  hurl  the 
shaft.  Enow  there  were  to  help  them,  for  there  was 
great  store  of  men. 

At  the  feasting  the  host  bade  purvey  them  with  the 
best  of  cheer.  He  kept  him  free  from  every  form  of 
blame  that  might  befall  a  king;  men  saw  him  move  in 
friendly  wise  among  his  guests.  He  spake :  "  Ye  worthy 
knights,  ere  ye  go  hence,  pray  take  my  gifts.  I  am 
minded  to  deserve  it  of  you  ever.  Do  not  disdain  my 
goods,  the  which  I'll  share  with  you,  as  I  have  great 
desire." 

Then  up  spake  they  of  Denmark :  "  Ere  we  ride 
homeward  to  our  land,  we  crave  a  lasting  peace ;  we 
knights  have  need  thereof,  for  many  a  one  of  our 
kinsmen  lieth  dead  at  the  hands  of  your  men-at-arms." 

Liudegast,  the  Saxon  chief,  was  now  cured  of  his 
wounds  and  had  recovered  from  the  fray,  though  many 
dead  they  left  within  this  land.  Then  King  Gunther 
went  to  find  Sir  Siegfried  ;  to  the  knight  he  spake : 
"Now  tell  me  what  to  do.  Our  foes  would  fain  ride 
early  and  beg  for  lasting  peace  of  me  and  of  my  men. 
Advise  me  now,  Knight  Siegfried,  what  thinketh  thee 


42  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

good  to  do?  What  the  lordings  offer  me  will  I  tell 
thee;  what  of  gold  five  hundred  steeds  can  bear,  that 
would  they  gladly  give  me,  and  I  set  them  free  again." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  Siegfried :  "  That  were  done 
but  ill.  Let  them  ride  hence  unhindered,  but  make 
each  of  the  lordings  give  surety  with  his  hand,  that 
their  noble  knights  henceforth  forbear  all  hostile  riding 
hither  to  your  land." 

"This  counsel  will  I  follow."  Herewith  they  parted, 
and  to  the  king's  foes  was  told  that  no  one  craved  the 
gold  they  proffered.  For  their  loved  friends  at  home 
the  battle-weary  warriors  longed.  Many  a  shield  full  of 
treasure  was  then  brought  forth,  which  the  king  dealt 
out  unweighed  to  his  many  friends,  to  each  five  hun- 
dred marks  of  gold,  and  to  a  few,  still  more.  Gemot, 
the  bi*ave,  had  counseled  Gunther  this.  Then  they  all 
took  leave,  sith  they  would  hence.  One  saw  the  guests 
draw  nigh  to  Kriemhild  and  also  to  where  Dame  Uta 
sate.  Never  yet  were  knights  dismissed  in  better  wise. 
Lodgings  grew  empty  as  they  rode  away,  but  still 
there  stayed  at  home  the  king  and  all  his  kin  and 
many  a  noble  liegeman.  Daily  they  were  seen  as  they 
went  to  Lady  Kriemhild.  The  good  knight  Siegfried 
now  would  likewise  take  his  leave;  he  weened  not  to 
win  that  on  which  his  mind  was  set.  The  king  heard 
said  that  he  would  hence,  but  Giselher,  the  youth, 
quite  won  him  from  the  journey. 

"Whither  would  ye  ride  now,  noble  Siegfried? 
Pray  tarry  with  the  knights,  I  beg  you,  with  Gunther 
the  king  and  with  his  men.  Here,  too,  are  many 
comely  dames  whom  we  shall  gladly  let  you  see." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  Siegfried :  "  Let  stand  the 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   FIRST   SAW   KRIEMHILD     43 

steeds.  I  listed  to  ride  hence,  but  now  will  I  desist. 
The  shields,  too,  bear  away.  To  my  land  I  craved  to 
go,  in  truth,  but  Giselher  with  his  great  love  hath 
turned  me  from  it." 

So  the  valiant  knight  stayed  on  to  please  his  friends, 
nor  could  he  have  fared  more  gentilly  in  any  land. 
This  happed  because  he  daily  saw  Kriemhild,  the  fair; 
for  the  sake  of  her  unmeasured  beauty  the  lording 
stayed.  With  many  a  pastime  they  whiled  the  hours 
away,  but  still  her  love  constrained  him  and  often 
gave  him  dole.  Because  of  this  same  love  in  later  days 
the  valiant  knight  lay  pitiful  in  death. 


ADVENTURE   VI 

HOW  GUNTHER    FARED  TO   ISENLAND  l  FOR   BRUNHILD 

New  tidings  came  across  the  Rhine.  'Twas  said  that 
yonder  many  a  fair  maid  dwelt.  The  good  King  Gun- 
ther  thought  to  win  him  one  of  these;  high  therefore 
rose  the  warrior's  spirits.  There  lived  a  queen  beyond 
the  sea,  whose  like  men  knew  not  anywhere.  Peerless 
was  her  beauty  and  great  her  strength.  With  doughty 
knio'hts  she  shot  the  shaft  for  love.  The  stone  she 
hurled  afar  and  sprang  far  after  it.  He  who  craved  her 
love  must  win  without^ad^ree^mnes  from  this  high- 
born dame.  If  he  failed  in  one,  then  had  he  forfeited 
his  head.  When  the  noble  maid  had  done  this  passing 
oft,  a  stately  knight  did  hear  it  by  the  Rhine.  He 
turned  his  thoughts  upon  this  comely  dame,  and  so 
heroes  must  needs  later  lose  their  lives. 

One  day  when  the  king  and  his  vassals  sate  and 
pondered  to  and  fro  in  many  a  wise,  whom  their  lord 
might  take  to  wife,  who  would  be  fit  to  be  their  lady 
and  beseem  the  land,  up  spake  the  lord  of  the  Rhine- 
lands  :  "  I  will  go  down  to  the  sea  and  hence  to  Brun- 
hild, however  it  may  go  with  me.  For  her  love  I  '11  risk 
my  life.  I  will  gladly  lose  it  and  she  become  not  my 
wife." 

"  Against  that  do  I  counsel  you,"  spake  then  Sieg- 
fried, "  if,  as  ye  say,  the  queen  doth  have  so  fierce  a 
wont,  he  who  wooeth  for  her  love  will  pay  full  dear. 
Therefore  should  ye  give  over  the  journey.' 


HOW  GUNTHER  FARED   TO   ISENLAND        45 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  Never  was  woman 
born  so  strong  and  bold  that  I  might  not  vanquish  her 
with  mine  own  hand." 

"  Be  still,"  spake  Siegfried,  "  ye  little  know  her 
strength." 

"  So  will  I  advise  you,"  spake  Hagen  then,  "  that 
ye  beg  Siegfried  to  share  v/ith  you  this  heavy  task. 
This  is  my  rede,  sith  he  doth  know  so  well  how  matters 
stand  with  Brunhild." 

The  king  spake  :  "  Wilt  thou  help  me,  noble  Sieg- 
fried, to  woo  this  lovely  maid?  And  thou  doest  what 
I  pray  thee  and  this  comely  dame  become  my  love,  for 
thy  sake  will  I  risk  both  life  and  honor." 

To  this  Siegfried,  the  son  of  Siegmund,  answered : 
"  I  will  do  it,  and  thou  give  me  thy  sister  Kriem- 
hild,  the  noble  queen.  For  my  pains  I  ask  no  other 
meed." 

"  I  '11  pledge  that,  Siegfried,  in  thy  hand,"  spake 
then  Gunther,  "  and  if  fair  Brunhild  come  hither  to 
this  land,  I  '11  give  thee  my  sister  unto  wife.  Then  canst 
thou  live  ever  merrily  with  the  fair." 

This  the  noble  warriors  swore  oaths  to  do,  and  so 
the  greater  grew  their  hardships,  till  they  brought  the 
lady  to  the  Rhine.  On  this  account  these  brave  men 
must  later  be  in  passing  danger.  Siegfried  had  to  take 
with  him  hence  the  cloak  which  lie,  the  bold  hero,  had 
won  'mid  dangers  from  a  dwarf,  Alberich  he  bight. 
These  bold  and  mighty  knights  now  made  them  ready 
for  the  journey.  When  Siegfried  wore  the  Cloak  of 
Darkness  he  had  strength  enow:  the  force  of  full 
twelve  men  beside  his  own.  With  cunning:  arts  he  won 
the  royal  maid.  This  cloak  was  fashioned  so,  that  what- 


46  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

soever  any  wrought  within  it,  none  saw  him.  Thus  he 
won  Brunhild,  which  brought  him  dole. 

"  Now  tell  me,  good  Knight  Siegfried,  before  our 
trip  begin,  shall  we  not  take  warriors  with  us  into 
Brunhild's  land,  that  we  may  come  with  passing  hon- 
ors to  the  sea?  Thirty  thousand  men-at-arms  can 
soon  be  called." 

"  However  many  men  we  take,"  quoth  Siegfried, 
"the  queen  doth  use  so  fierce  a  wont  that  they  must 
perish  through  her  haughty  pride.  I  '11  give  thee  better 
counsel,  O  brave  and  worthy  king.  Let  us  fare  as 
wandering  knights  adown  the  Rhine,  and  I  will  tell 
thee  those  that  shall  be  of  the  band.  In  all  four  knights, 
we'll  journey  to  the  sea  and  thus  we  '11  woo  the  lady, 
whatever  be  our  fate  thereafter.  I  shall  be  one  of  the 
four  comrades,  the  second  thou  shalt  be.  Let  Hagen 
be  the  third  (then  have  we  hope  of  life),  Dankwart 
then  the  fourth,  the  valiant  man.  A  thousand  others 
durst  not  match  us  in  the  fight." 

"  Gladly  would  I  know,"  spake  then  the  king,  "  ere 
we  go  hence  ('t  would  please  me  much),  what  garments 
we  should  wear  before  Brunhild,  which  would  beseem 
us  there.  Pray  tell  this  now  to  Gunther." 

"  Weeds  of  the  very  best  which  can  be  found  are 
worn  all  times  in  Brunhild's  land.  We  must  wear  rich 
clothes  before  the  lady,  that  we  feel  no  shame  when 
men  shall  hear  the  tidings  told." 

The  good  knight  spake  :  "  Then  will  I  go  myself  to 
my  dear  mother,  if  perchance  I  can  bring  it  to  pass 
that  her  fair  maids  purvey  us  garments  which  we  may 
wear  with  honor  before  the  high-born  maid." 

Hagen  of  Troneg  spake  then  in  lordly  wise :  "  Where- 


HOW   GUNTHER  FARED   TO   ISENLAND         47 

fore  will  ye  pray  your  mother  of  such  service  ?  Let 
your  sister  hear  what  ye  have  in  mind,  and  she  '11  pur^ 
vey  you  well  for  your  journey  to  Brunhild's  court." 

Then  sent  he  word  to  his  sister,  that  he  would  fain 
see  her,  and  Knight  Siegfried,  too,  sent  word.  Ere 
this  happed  the  fair  had  clad  her  passing  well.  That 
these  brave  men  were  coming,  gave  her  little  grief. 
Now  were  her  attendants,  too,  arrayed  in  seemly  wise. 
The  lordings  came,  and  when  she  heard  the  tale,  from 
her  seat  she  rose  and  walked  in  courtly  wise  to  greet 
the  noble  stranger  and  her  brother,  too. 

"  Welcome  be  my  brother  and  his  comrade.  I  'd 
gladly  know,"  so  spake  the  maid,  "  what  ye  lords  de- 
sire, sith  ye  be  thus  come  to  court.  Pray  let  me  hear 
how  it  standeth  with  you  noble  knights." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  My  lady,  I  '11  tell  you 
now.  Maugre  our  lofty  mood,  yet  have  we  mickle  care. 
We  would  ride  a-wooing  far  into  foreign  lands,  and 
for  this  journey  we  have  need  of  costly  robes." 

"  Now  sit  you  down,  dear  brother,"  spake  the  royal 
maid,  "  and  let  me  hear  aright  who  these  ladies  be 
whom  ye  fain  would  woo  in  the  lands  of  other  kings." 

By  the  hand  the  lady  took  the  chosen  knights  and 
with  the  twain  she  walked  to  where  she  sate  afore  upon 
a  couch,  worked,  as  well  I  wot,  with  dainty  figures 
embossed  in  gold.  There  might  they  have  fair  pastime 
with  the  ladies.  Friendly  glances  and  kindly  looks 
passed  now  full  oft  between  the  twain.  In  his  heart 
he  bare  her,  she  was  dear  to  him  as  life.  In  after  days 
fair  Kriemhild  became  strong  Siegfried's  wife. 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king  :  "  Dear  sister  mine, 
without   thy  help   it  may  not   be.   We  would  go  for 


48  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

knightly  pastime  to  Brunhild's  land,  and  have  need  of 
princely  garb  to  wear  before  the  dames." 

Then  the  noble  maiden  answered :  "  Dear  brother 
mine,  I  do  you  now  to  wit,  that  whatever  need  ye  have 
of  help  of  mine,  that  stand  I  ready  to  give.  Should 
any  deny  you  aught,  't  would  please  Kriemhild  but  ill. 
Most  noble  knights,  beseech  me  not  with  such  concern, 
but  order  me  with  lordly  air  to  do  whatso  ye  list.  I 
stand  at  your  bidding  and  will  do  it  with  a  will."  So 
spake  the  winsome  maid. 

"  We  would  fain,  dear  sister,  wear  good  attire,  and 
this  your  noble  hand  shall  help  to  choose.  Your  maid- 
ens then  must  make  it  fit  us,  for  there  be  no  help 
against  this  journey." 

Then  spake  the  princess  :  "  Now  mark  ye  what  I 
say.  Silks  I  have  myself  ;  see  ye  that  men  do  bring 
us  jewels  upon  the  shields  and  thus  we  '11  work  the 
clothes."  Gunther  and  Siegfried,  too,  gave  glad  as- 
sent. 

"  Who  are  the  comrades,"  spake  the  queen,  "  who 
shall  fare  with  you  thus  clad  to  court?" 

He  spake  :  "  I  shall  be  one  of  four.  My  liegemen 
twain,  Dankwart  and  Hagen,  shall  go  with  me  to 
court.  Now  mark  ye  well,  my~  lady,  what  I  say.  Each 
of  us  four  must  have  to  wear  for  four  whole  days 
three  changes  of  apparel  and  such  goodly  trappings 
that  without  shame  we  may  quit  Brunhild's  land." 

In  fitting  wise  the  lords  took  leave  and  parted 
hence.  Kriemhild,  the  queen,  bade  thirty  of  her  maid- 
ens who  were  skillful  in  such  work,  come  forth  from 
out  their  bowers.  Silks  of  Araby,  white  as  snow,  and 
the  fair  silk  of  Zazamanc,1  green  as  is  the  slover,  they 


HOW  GUNTHER  FARED   TO   ISENLAND        49 

overlaid  with  precious  stones ;  that  gave  garments 
passing  fair.  Kriemhild  herself,  the  high-born  maiden, 
cut  them  out.  Whatso  they  had  at  hand  of  well- 
wrought  linings  from  the  skin  of  foreign  fish,  but 
rarely  seen  of  folk,  they  covered  now  with  silk,  as  was 
the  wont  to  wear.1  Now  hear  great  marvels  of  these 
shining  weeds.  From  the  kingdom  of  Morocco  and 
from  Libya,  too,  they  had  great  store  of  the  fairest 
silks  which  the  kith  of  any  king  did  ever  win.  Kriem- 
hild made  it  well  appear  what  love  she  bore  the  twain. 
Sith  upon  the  proud  journey  they  had  set  their  minds, 
they  deemed  ermine  to  be  well  fit.2  Upon  this  lay  fine 
silk  as  black  as  coal.  This  would  still  beseem  all 
doughty  knights  at  high  festal  tides.  From  out  a  set- 
ting of  Arabian  gold  there  shone  forth  many  a  stone. 
The  ladies'  zeal,  it  was  not  small,  forsooth  ;  in  seven 
weeks  they  wrought  the  robes.  Ready,  too,  were  the 
weapons  for  the  right  good  knights. 

When  now  they  all  stood  dight,3  there  was  built  for 
them  in  haste  upon  the  Rhine  a  sturdy  little  skiff,  that 
should  bear  them  downward  to  the  sea.  Weai-y  were 
the  noble  maids  from  all  their  cares.  Then  the  war- 
riors were  told  that  the  brave  vestures  they  should 
wear  were  now  prepared  ;  as  they  had  craved  it,  so 
it  now  was  done.  Then  no  longer  would  they  tarry  on 
the  Rhine  ;  they  sent  a  message  to  their  war-companions, 
if  perchance  they  should  care  to  view  their  new  attire, 
to  see  if  it  be  too  long  or  short.  All  was  found  in  fitting 
measure,  and  for  this  they  gave  the  ladies  thanks.  All 
who  saw  them  could  not  but  aver  that  never  in  the 
world  had  they  seen  attire  more  fair.  Therefore  they 
wore  it  gladly  at  the  court.   None  wist  how  to  tell  of 


50  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

better  knightly  weeds.  Nor  did  they  fail  to  give  great 
thanks.  Then  the  lusty  knights  craved  leave  to  go,  and 
this  the  lordings  did  in  courtly  wise.  Bright  eyes  grew 
dim  and  moist  thereat  from  weeping. 

Kriemhild  spake  :  "  Dear  brother,  ye  might  better 
tarry  here  a  while  and  pay  court  to  other  dames,  where 
ye  would  not  so  risk  your  life ;  then  would  I  say  well 
done.  Ye  might  find  nearer  home  a  wife  of  as  high  a 
birth." 

I  ween  their  hearts  did  tell  them  what  would  hap. 
All  wept  alike,  no  matter  what  men  said.  The  gold 
upon  their  breasts  was  tarnished  by  their  tears,  which 
thick  and  fast  coursed  downward  from  their  eyes. 

She  spake :  "  Sir  Siegfried,  let  this  dear  brother  of 
mine  be  commended  to  your  fealty  and  troth,  that 
naught  may  harm  him  in  Brunhild's  land."  This  the 
full  brave  knight  vowed  in  Lady  Kriemhild's  hand. 

The  mighty  warrior  spake :  "If  I  lose  not  my 
life,  ye  may  be  free  from  every  care,  my  lady.  I  '11 
bring  him  to  you  sound  again  hither  to  the  Rhine ; 
that  know  of  a  surety."  The  fair  maid  bowed  her 
thanks. 

Men  bare  their  gold-hued  shields  out  to  them  upon 
the  sands  and  brought  them  all  their  harness.  One 
bade  lead  up  the  steeds,  for  they  would  ride  away. 
Much  weeping  then  was  done  by  comely  dames.  The 
winsome  maids  stood  at  the  casements.  A  high  wind 
stirred  the  ship  and  sails ;  the  proud  war  fellowship 
embarked  upon  the  Rhine. 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  Who  shall  be  the  cap- 
tain of  the  ship?  " 

"  That  will  I,"  quoth  Siegfried,  "  I  wot  well  how  to 


HOW   GUNTHER  FARED   TO   ISENLAND        51 

steer  you  on  the  flood.  That  know,  good  knights,  the 
right  water  ways  be  well  known  to  me." 

So  they  parted  merrily  from  out  the  Burgundian 
land.  Siegfried  quickly  grasped  an  oar  and  from  the 
shore  the  stalwart  man  gan  push.  Bold  Gunther  took 
the  helm  himself,  and  thus  the  worshipful  and  speedy 
knights  set  forth  from  land.  With  them  they  took 
rich  food  and  eke  good  wine,  the  best  that  could  be 
found  along  the  Rhine.  Their  steeds  stood  fair  ;  they 
had  good  easement.  Their  ship  rode  well ;  scant  harm 
did  hap  them.  Their  stout  sheet-rope  was  tightened  by 
the  breeze.  Twenty  leagues  they  sailed,  or  ever  came 
the  night,  with  a  good  wind,  downward  toward  the  sea. 
These  hard  toils  later  brought  the  high-mettled  war- 
riors pain. 

Upon  the  twelfth-day  morning,  as  we  hear  say,  the 
winds  had  borne  them  far  away  to  Isen stein  in  Brun- 
hild's land.  To  none  save  Siegfried  was  this  known ; 
but  when  King  Gunther  spied  so  many  castles  and 
broad  marches,  too,  how  soon  he  spake  :  "  Pray  tell  me, 
friend  Siegfried,  is  it  known  to  you  whose  are  these 
castles  and  this  lordly  land?" 

Siegfried  answered  :  "  I  know  it  well.  It  is  the  land 
and  folk  of  Brunhild  and  the  fortress  Isenstein,  as  ye 
heard  me  say.  Fair  ladies  ye  may  still  see  there  to-day. 
Methinketh  good  to  advise  you  heroes  that  ye  be  of 
one  single  mind,  and  that  ye  tell  the  selfsame  tale. 
For  if  we  go  to-day  before  Brunhild,  in  much  jeopardy 
must  we  stand  before  the  queen.  When  we  behold  the 
lovely  maiden  with  her  train,  then,  ye  far-famed  heroes, 
must  ye  tell  but  this  single  tale  :  that  Gunther  be  my 
master  and  I  his  man  ;  then  what  he  craveth  will  come 


52  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

to  pass."  Full  ready  they  were  for  whatever  he  bade 
them  vow,  nor  because  of  pride  did  any  one  abstain. 
They  promised  what  he  would;  wherefrom  they  all 
fared  well,  when  King  Gunther  saw  fair  Brunhild.1 

"Forsooth  I  vow  it  less  for  thy  sake  than  for  thy 
sister's,  the  comely  maid,  who  is  to  me  as  mine  own 
soul  and  body.  Gladly  will  I  bring  it  to  pass,  that  she 
become  my  wife." 


ADVENTURE   VII 

HOW  GUNTHER  WON  BRUNHILD 

Meanwhile  their  bark  had  come  so  near  the  castle 
that  the  king  saw  many  a  comely  maiden  standing  at 
the  casements.  Much  it  irked  King  Gunther  that  he 
knew  them  not.  He  asked  his  comrade  Siegfried :  "  Hast 
thou  no  knowledge  of  these  maidens,  who  yonder  are 
gazing  downward  towards  us  on  the  flood?  Whoever 
be  their  lord,  they  are  of  lofty  mood." 

At  this  Sir  Siegfried  spake :  "  I  pray  you,  spy  se- 
cretly among  the  high-born  maids  and  tell  me  then 
whom  ye  would  choose,  and  ye  had  the  power." 

"  That  will  I,"  spake  Gunther,  the  bold  and  valiant 
knight.  "  In  yonder  window  do  I  see  one  stand  in  snow- 
white  weeds.  She  is  fashioned  so  fair  that  mine  eyes 
would  choose  her  for  her  comeliness.  Had  I  power, 
she  should  become  my  wife." 

"  Right  well  thine  eyes  have  chosen  for  thee.  It  is 
the  noble  Brunhild,  the  comely  maid,  for  whom  thy 
heart  doth  strive  and  eke  thy  mind  and  mood."  All 
her  bearing  seemed  to  Gunther  good. 

Then  bade  the  queen  her  high-born  maids  go  from 
the  windows,  for  it  behooved  them  not  to  be  the  mark 
of  strangers'  eyes.  Each  one  obeyed.  What  next  the 
ladies  did,  hath  been  told  us  since.  They  decked  their 
persons  out  to  meet  the  unknown  knights,  a  way  fair 
maids  have  ever  had.  To  the  narrow  casements  they 


54  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

came  again,  where  they  had  seen  the  knights.  Through 
love  of  gazing  this  was  done. 

But  four  there  were  that  were  come  to  land.  Through 
the  windows  the  stately  women  saw  how  Siegfried  led 
a  horse  out  on  the  sand,  whereby  King  Gunther  felt 
himself  much  honored.  By  the  bridle  he  held  the  steed, 
so  stately,  good  and  fair,  and  large  and  strong,  until 
King  Gunther  had  sat  him  in  the  saddle.  Thus  Sieg- 
fried served  him,  the  which  he  later  quite  forgot.  Such 
service  he  had  seldom  done  afore,  that  he  should  stand 
at  any  hero's  stirrup.  Then  he  led  his  own  steed  from 
the  ship.  All  this  the  comely  dames  of  noble  birth 
saw  through  the  casements.  The  steeds  and  garments, 
too,  of  the  lusty  knights,  of  snow-white  hue,  were 
right  well  matched  and  all  alike ;  the  bucklers,  fash- 
ioned well,  gleamed  in  the  hands  of  the  stately  men. 
In  lordly  wise  they  rode  to  Brunhild's  hall,  their  sad- 
dles set  with  precious  stones,  with  narrow  martingales, 
from  which  hung  bells  of  bright  and  ruddy  gold.  So 
they  came  to  the  land,  as  well  befit  their  prowess,  with 
newly  sharpened  spears,  with  well-wrought  swords,  the 
which  hung  down  to  the  spurs  of  these  stately  men. 
The  swords  the  bold  men  bore  were  sharp  and  broad. 
All  this  Brunhild,  the  high-born  maid,  espied. 

With  the  king  came  Dank  wart  and  Hagen,  too. 
We  have  heard  tales  told  of  how  the  knights  wore 
costly  raiment,  raven  black  of  hue.  Fair  were  their 
bucklers,  mickle,  good  and  broad.  Jewels  they  wore 
from  the  land  of  India,  the  which  gleamed  gloriously 
upon  their  weeds.  By  the  flood  they  left  their  skiff 
without  a  guard.  Thus  the  brave  knights  and  good 
rode  to  the  castle.   Six  and  eighty  towers  they  saw 


HOW  GUNTHER  WON  BRUNHILD      55 

within,  three  broad  palaces, *  and  one  hall  well  wrought 
of  costly  marble,  green  as  grass,  wherein  Brunhild  her- 
self sate  with  her  courtiers.  The  castle  was  unlocked 
and  the  gates  flung  wide.  Then  ran  Brunhild's  men  to 
meet  them  and  welcomed  the  strangers  into  their  mis- 
tress' land.  One  bade  relieve  them  of  their  steeds  and 
shields. 

Then  spake  a  chamberlain  :  "  Pray  give  us  now  your 
swords  and  your  shining  breastplates,  too." 

"  That  we  may  not  grant  you,"  said  Hagen  of  Tro- 
neg ;   "  we  ourselves  will  bear  them." 

Then  gan  Siegfried  tell  aright  the  tale.  "  The  usage 
of  the  castle,  let  me  say,  is  such  that  no  guests  may 
here  bear  arms.  Let  them  now  be  taken  hence,  then 
will  aU  be  well." 

Unwillingly  Hagen,  Gunther's  man,  obeyed.  For  the 
strangers  men  bade  pour  out  wine  and  make  their  lodg- 
ings ready.  Many  doughty  knights  were  seen  walking 
everywhere  at  court  in  lordly  weeds.  Mickle  and  oft 
were  these  heroes  gazed  upon. 

Then  the  tidings  were  told  to  Lady  Brunhild,  that 
unknown  warriors  were  come  in  lordly  raiment,  sailing 
on  the  flood.  The  fair  and  worthy  maid  gan  ask  con- 
cerning this.  "  Pray  let  me  hear,"  spake  the  queen, 
"  who  be  these  unknown  knights,  who  stand  so  lordly 
in  my  castle,  and  for  whose  sake  the  heroes  have 
journeyed  hither  ?  " 

Then  spake  one  of  the  courtiers :  "  My  lady,  I  can 
well  say  that  never  have  I  set  eyes  on  any  of  them, 
but  one  like  Siegfried  doth  stand  among  them.  Him 
ye  should  give  fair  greetings  ;  that  is  my  rede,  in  truth. 
The  second  of  their  fellowship  is  so  worthy  of  praise 


56  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

that  he  were  easily  a  mighty  king  over  broad  and 
princely  lands,  and  he  had  the  power  and  might  pos- 
sess them.  One  doth  see  him  stand  by  the  rest  in 
such  right  lordly  wise.  The  third  of  the  fellowship 
is  so  fierce  and  yet  withal  so  fair  of  body,  most  noble 
queen.  By  the  fierce  glances  he  so  oft  doth  cast,  I 
ween  he  be  grim  of  thought  and  mood.  The  youngest 
among  them  is  worshipful  indeed.  I  see  the  noble 
knight  stand  so  charmingly,  with  courtly  bearing,  in 
almost  maiden  modesty.  We  might  all  have  cause  for 
fear,  had  any  done  him  aught.  However  blithely  he 
doth  practice  chivalry,  and  howso  fair  of  body  he  be, 
yet  might  he  well  make  many  a  comely  woman  weep, 
should  he  e'er  grow  angry.  He  is  so  fashioned  that 
in  all  knightly  virtues  he  must  be  a  bold  knight  and  a 
brave." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  Now  bring  me  my  attire. 
If  the  mighty  Siegfried  be  come  unto  this  land  through 
love  of  mine,  he  doth  risk  his  life.  I  fear  him  not  so 
sore,  that  I  should  become  his  wife." 

Brunhild,  the  fair,  was  soon  well  clad.  Then  went 
there  with  her  many  a  comely  maid,  full  hundred  or 
more,  decked  out  in  gay  attire.  The  stately  dames 
would  gaze  upon  the  strangers.  With  them  there 
walked  good  knights  from  Isenland,  Brunhild's  men- 
at-arms,  five  hundred  or  more,  who  bore  swords  in 
hand.  This  the  strangers  rued.  From  their  seats  then 
the  brave  and  lusty  heroes  rose.  When  that  the  queen 
spied  Siegfried,  now  hear  what  the  maid  did  speak. 

"  Be  ye  welcome,  Siegfried,  here  in  this  our  land ! 
What  doth  your  journey  mean  ?  That  I  fain  would 
know." 


HOW  GUNTHER  WON  BRUNHILD      57 

"  Gramercy,  my  Lady  Biuinhild,  that  ye  have  deigned 
to  greet  me,  most  generous  queen,  in  the  presence  of 
this  noble  knight  who  standeth  here  before  me,  for  he 
is  my  liege  lord.  This  honor  I  must  needs  forswear. 
By  birth  he  's  from  the  Rhine  ;  what  more  need  I  to 
say?  For  thy  sake  are  we  come  hither.  Fain  would, 
he  woo  thee,  however  he  fare.  Bethink  thee  now  be- 
times, my  lord  will  not  let  thee  go.  He  is  hight  Gun- 
ther  and  is  a  lordly  king.  An'  he  win  thy  love,  he  doth 
crave  naught  more.  Forsooth  this  knight,  so  well  be- 
seen,  did  bid.  me  journey  hither.  I  would  fain  have 
given  it  over,  could  I  have  said  him  nay." 

She  spake :  "  Is  he  thy  liege  and  thou  his  man,  dare 
he  assay  the  games  which  I  mete  out  and  gain  the 
mastery,  then  I  '11  become  his  wife ;  but  should  I  win, 
't  will  cost  you  all  your  lives." 

Then  up  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg  :  "  My  lady,  let  us 
see  your  mighty  games.  It  must  indeed  go  hard,  or 
ever  Gunther,  my  lord,  give  you  the  palm.  He  troweth 
well  to  win  so  fair  a  maid." 

"  He  must  hurl  the  stone  and  after  spring  and  cast 
the  spear  with  me.  Be  ye  not  too  hasty.  Ye  are  like 
to  lose  here  your  honor  and  your  life  as  well.  Bethink 
you  therefore  rightly,"  spake  the  lovely  maid. 

Siegfried,  the  bold,  went  to  the  king  and  bade  him 
tell  the  queen  all  that  he  had  in  mind,  he  should  have 
no  fear.  "  I  '11  guard  you  well  against  her  with  my 
arts." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther :  "  Most  noble  queen, 
now  mete  out  whatso  ye  list,  and  were  it  more,  that 
would  I  all  endure  for  your  sweet  sake.  I  '11  gladly 
lose  my  head,  and  ye  become  not  my  wife." 


58  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

When  the  queen  heard  this  speech,  she  begged  them 
hasten  to  the  games,  as  was  but  meet.  She  bade  pur- 
vey her  with  good  armor  for  the  strife  :  a  breastplate 
of  ruddy  gold  and  a  right  good  shield.  A  silken  sur- 
coat,1  too,  the  maid  put  on,  which  sword  had  never 
cut  in  any  fray,  of  silken  cloth  of  Libya.  Well  was 
it  wrought.  Bright  embroidered  edging  was  seen  to 
shine  thereon. 

Meanwhile  the  knights  were  threatened  much  with 
battle  cries.  Dank  wart  and  Hagen  stood  ill  at  ease ; 
their  minds  were  troubled  at  the  thought  of  how  the 
king  would  speed.  Thought  they :  "  Our  journey  will 
not  bring  us  warriors  aught  of  good." 

Meanwhile  Siegfried,  the  stately  man,  or  ever  any 
marked  it,  had  hied  him  to  the  ship,  where  he  found 
his  magic  cloak  concealed.  Into  it  he  quickly  slipped 
and  so  was  seen  of  none.  He  hurried  back  and  there 
he  found  a  great  press  of  knights,  where  the  queen 
dealt  out  her  lofty  games.  Thither  he  went  in  secret 
wise  (by  his  arts  it  happed),  nor  was  he  seen  of  any 
that  were  there.  The  ring  had  been  marked  out,  where 
the  games  should  be,  afore  many  valiant  warriors,  who 
were  to  view  them  there.  More  than  seven  hunched 
were  seen  bearing  arms,  who  were  to  say  who  won  the 
^ame. 

Then  was  come  Brunhild,  armed  as  though  she 
would  battle  for  all  royal  lands.  Above  her  silken  coat 
she  wore  many  a  bar  of  gold ;  gloriously  her  lovely 
color  shone  beneath  the  armor.  Then  came  her  court- 
iers, who  bare  along  a  shield  of  ruddy  gold  with  large 
broad  strips  as  hard  as  steel,  beneath  the  which  the 
lovely  maid  would  fight.  As  shield-thong  there  served 


HOW  GUNTHER   WON   BRUNHILD  59 

a  costly  band  upon  which  lay  jewels  green  as  grass. 
It  shone  and  gleamed  against  the  gold.  He  must 
needs  be  passing  bold,  to  whom  the  maid  would  show 
her  love.  The  shield  the  maid  should  bear  was  three 
spans  thick  beneath  the  studs,  as  we  are  told.  Rich 
enow  it  was,  of  steel  and  eke  of  gold,  the  which  four 
chamberlains  could  scarcely  carry. 

When  the  stalwart  Hagen  saw  the  shield  borne  forth, 
the  knight  of  Troneg  spake  full  grim  of  mood  :  "  How 
now,  King  Gunther?  How  we  shall  lose  our  lives! 
She  you  would  make  your  love  is  the  devil's  bride,  in 
truth." 

Hear  now  about  her  weeds  ;  enow  of  these  she 
had  ;  she  wore  a  surcoat  of  silk  of  Azagouc,1  noble  and 
costly.  Many  a  lordly  stone  shone  in  contrast  to  its 
color  on  the  person  of  the  queen. 

Then  was  brought  forth  for  the  lady  a  spear,  sharp, 
heavy,  and  large,  the  which  she  cast  all  time,  stout  and 
unwieldy,  mickle  and  broad,  which  on  its  edges  cut 
most  fearfully.  Of  the  spear's  great  weight  hear  won- 
ders told.  Three  and  one  half  weights2  of  iron  were 
wrought  therein,  the  which  scarce  three  of  Brunhild's 
men  could  bear.  The  noble  Gunther  gan  be  sore 
afraid.  Within  his  heart  he  thought:  "What  doth 
this  mean  ?  How  could  the  devil  from  hell  himself  es- 
cape alive  ?  Were  I  safe  and  sound  in  Burgundy,  long 
might  she  live  here  free  of  any  love  of  mine." 

Then  spake  Hagen's  brother;  the  valiant  Dankwart : 
"  The  journey  to  this  court  doth  rue  me  sore.  We  who 
have  ever  borne  the  name  of  knights,  how  must  we 
lose  our  lives !  Shall  we  now  perish  at  the  hands  of 
women  in  these  lands?  It  doth  irk  me  much,  that  ever 


60  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

I  came  unto  this  country.  Had  but  my  brother  Hagen 
his  sword  in  hand,  and  I  mine,  too,  then  should  Brun- 
hild's men  go  softly  in  their  overweening  pride.  This 
know  for  sure,  they  'd  guard  against  it  well.  And  had 
I  sworn  a  peace  with  a  thousand  oaths,  before  I  'd  see 
my  dear  lord  die,  the  comely  maid  herself  should  lose 
her  life." 

"  We  might  leave  this  land  unscathed,"  spake  then 
his  brother  Hagen,  "  had  we  the  harness  which  we 
sorely  need  and  our  good  swords  as  well ;  then  would 
the  pride  of  this  strong  dame  become  a  deal  more  soft." 

What  the  warrior  spake  the  noble  maid  heard  well. 
Over  her  shoulders  she  gazed  with  smiling  mouth. 
"  Now  sith  he  thinketh  himself  so  brave,  bring  them 
forth  their  coats-of-mail  ;  put  in  the  warriors'  hands 
their  sharp-edged  swords." 

When  they  received  their  weapons  as  the  maiden 
bade,  bold  Dankwart  blushed  for  very  joy.  "  Now 
let  them  play  whatso  they  list,"  spake  the  doughty 
man.  "  Gunther  is  unconquered,  since  now  we  have 
our  arms." 

Mightily  now  did  Brunhild's  strength  appear.  Into 
the  ring  men  bare  a  heavy  stone, huge  and  great,  mickle 
and  round.  Twelve  brave  and  valiant  men-at-arms  could 
scarcely  bear  it.  This  she  threw  at  all  times,  when  she 
had  shot  the  spear.  The  Burgundians'  fear  now  grew 
amain. 

"  Woe  is  me,"  crie'd  Hagen.  "  Whom  hath  King 
Gunther  chosen  for  a  love?  Certes  she  should  be  the 
foul  fiend's  bride  in  hell." 

Upon  her  fair  white  arm  the  maid  turned  back  her 
sleeves ;  with  her  hands  she  grasped  the  shield  and 


HOW  GUNTHER  WON  BRUNHILD      61 

poised  the  spear  on  high.  Thus  the  strife  began.  Gun- 
ther  and  Siegfried  feared  Brunhild's  hate,  and  had 
Siegfried  not  come  to  Gunther's  aid,  she  would  have 
bereft  the  king  of  life.  Secretly  Siegfried  went  and 
touched  his  hand  ;  with  great  fear  Gunther  marked  his 
wiles.  "  Who  hath  touched  me?"  thought  the  valiant 
man.  Then  he  gazed  around  on  every  side,  but  saw 
none  standing  there. 

"  'T  is  I,  Siegfried,  the  dear  friend  of  thine.  Thou 
must  not  fear  the  queen.  Give  me  the  shield  from  off 
thy  hand  and  let  me  bear  it  and  mark  aright  what  thou 
dost  hear  me  say.  Make  thou  the  motions,  I  will  do 
the  deeds." 

When  Gunther  knew  that  it  was  Siegfried,  he  was 
overjoyed. 

Quoth  Siegfried :  "Now  hide  thou  my  arts  ;  tell  them 
not  to  any  man;  then  can  the  queen  win  from  thee 
little  fame,  albeit  she  doth  desire  it.  See  how  fearlessly 
the  lady  standeth  now  before  thee." 

Then  with  might  and  main  the  noble  maiden  hurled 
the  spear  at  a  shield,  mickle,  new,  and  broad,  which  the 
son  of  Siegelind  bore  upon  his  arm.  The  sparks  sprang 
from  the  steel,  as  if  the  wind  did  blow.  The  edge  of 
the  mighty  spear  broke  fully  through  the  shield,  so 
that  men  saw  the  fire  flame  forth  from  the  armor 
rings.  The  stalwart  men  both  staggered  at  the  blow  ; 
but  for  the  Cloak  of  Darkness  they  had  lain  there 
dead.  From  the  mouth  of  Siegfried,  the  brave,  gushed 
forth  the  blood.  Quickly  the  good  knight  sprang  back 
again  and  snatched  the  spear  that  she  had  driven 
through  his  shield.  Stout  Siegfried's  hand  now  sent  it 
back  again.  He  thought :  "  I  will  not  pierce  the  comely 


62  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

maid."  So  he  reversed  the  point  and  cast  it  at  her 
armor  with  the  butt,  that  it  rang  out  loudly  from  his 
mighty  hand.  The  sparks  flew  from  the  armor  rings, 
as  though  driven  by  the  wind.  Siegmund's  son  had 
made  the  throw  with  might.  With  all  her  strength  she 
could  not  stand  before  the  blow.  In  faith  King  Gun- 
ther  never  could  have  done  the  deed. 

Brunhild,  the  fair,  how  quickly  up  she  sprang! 
"  Gunther,  noble  knight,  I  cry  you  mercy  for  the  shot." 
She  weened  that  he  had  done  it  with  his  strength.  To 
her  had  crept  a  far  more  powerful  man.  Then  went 
she  quickly,  angry  was  her  mood.  The  noble  maid  and 
good  raised  high  the  stone  and  hurled  it  mightily  far 
from  her  hand.  After  the  cast  she  sprang,  that  all 
her  armor  rang,  in  truth.  The  stone  had  fallen  twelve 
fathoms  hence,  but  with  her  leap  the  comely  maid  out- 
sprang  the  throw.  Then  went  Sir  Siegfried  to  where 
lay  the  stone.  Gunther  poised  it,  while  the  hero  made 
the  throw.  Siegfried  was  bold,  strong,  and  tall ;  he 
threw  the  stone  still  further  and  made  a  broader  jump. 
Through  his  fair  arts  he  had  strength  enow  to  bear 
King  Gunther  with  him  as  he  sprang.  The  leap  was 
made,  the  stone  lay  on  the  ground  ;  men  saw  none  other 
save  Gunther,  the  knight,  alone.  Siegfried  had  ban- 
ished the  fear  of  King  Gunther's  death.  Brunhild, 
the  fair,  waxed  red  with  wrath.  To  her  courtiers  she 
spake  a  deal  too  loud,  when  she  spied  the  hero  safe  and 
sound  at  the  border  of  the  ring  :  "  Come  nearer  quickly, 
ye  kinsmen  and  liegemen  of  mine,  ye  must  now  be  sub- 
ject to  Gunther,  the  king." 

Then  the  brave  knights  laid  aside  their  arms  and 
paid  their  homage  at  the  feet  of  mighty  Gunther  from 


HOW  GUNTHER  WON  BRUNHILD      63 

the  Burgundian  land.  They  weened  that  he  had  won 
the  games  by  his  own  strength  alone.  He  greeted  them 
in  loving  wise  ;  in  sooth  he  was  most  rich  in  virtues. 

Then  the  lovely  maiden  took  him  by  the  hand  ;  full 
power  she  granted  him  within  the  land.  At  this  Hagen, 
the  bold  and  doughty  knight,  rejoiced  him.  She  bade 
the  noble  knight  go  with  her  hence  to  the  spacious 
palace.  When  this  was  done,  they  gave  the  warriors 
with  their  service  better  cheer.  With  good  grace 
Hagen  and  Dankwart  now  must  needs  submit.  The 
doughty  Siegfried  was  wise  enow  and  bare  away  his 
magic  cloak.  Then  he  repaired  to  where  the  ladies  sate. 
To  the  king  he  spake  and  shrewdly  did  he  this  :  "  Why 
wait  ye,  good  my  lord  ?  Why  begin  ye  not  the  games, 
of  which  the  queen  doth  deal  so  great  a  store  ?  Let  us 
soon  see  how  they  be  played."  The  crafty  man  did 
act  as  though  he  wist  not  a  whit  thereof. 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  How  hath  it  chanced  that 
ye,  Sir  Siegfried,  have  seen  naught  of  the  games  which 
the  hand  of  Gunther  here  hath  won  ?  " 

To  this  Hagen  of  the  Burgundian  land  made  answer. 
He  spake :  "  Ye  have  made  us  sad  of  mind,  my  lady. 
Siegfried,  the  good  knight,  was  by  the  ship  when  the 
lord  of  the  Khineland  won  from  you  the  games.  He 
knoweth  naught  thereof." 

"  Well  is  me  of  this  tale,"  spake  Siegfried,  the 
knight,  "  that  your  pride  hath  been  brought  thus  low, 
and  that  there  doth  live  a  wight  who  hath  the  power 
to  be  your  master.  Now,  O  noble  maiden,  must  ye 
follow  us  hence  to  the  Rhine." 

Then  spake  the  fair-fashioned  maid:  "That  may 
not  be.  First  must  my  kith  and  liegemen  learn  of  this. 


64  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Certes,  I  may  not  so  lightly  void  my  lands  ;  my  dearest 
friends  must  first  be  fetched." 

Then  bade  she  messengers  ride  on  every  side.  She 
called  her  friends,  her  kinsmen,  and  her  men-at-arms 
and  begged  them  come  without  delay  to  Isenstein, 
and  bade  them  all  be  given  lordly  and  rich  apparel. 
Daily,  early  and  late,  they  rode  in  troops  to  Brunhild's 
castle. 

"  Welaway,"  ci'ied  Hagen,  "  what  have  we  done ! 
We  may  ill  abide  the  coming  of  fair  Brunhild's  men. 
If  now  they  come  into  this  land  in  force,  then  hath  the 
noble  maid  been  born  to  our  great  rue.  The  will  of  the 
queen  is  unknown  to  us  ;  what  if  she  be  so  wroth  that 
we  be  lost?" 

Then  the  stalwart  Siegfried  spake :  "  Of  that  I  '11 
have  a  care.  I  '11  not  let  hap  that  which  ye  fear.  I  '11 
bring  you  help  hither  to  this  land,  from  chosen  knights, 
the  which  till  now  ye  have  not  known.  Ye  must  not 
ask  about  me  ;  I  will  fare  hence.  Meanwhile  may  God 
preserve  your  honor.  I  '11  return  ef  tsoon  and  bring  you 
a  thousand  men,  the  very  best  of  knights  that  I  have 
ever  known." 

"  Pray  tarry  not  too  long,"  spake  then  the  king ; 
"  of  your  help  we  be  justly  glad." 

He  answered :  "  In  a  few  short  days  I  '11  come  again. 
Tell  ye  to  Brunhild,  that  ye've  sent  me  hence." 


ADVENTURE  VIII1 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    FARED    TO    HIS    MEN-AT-ARMS,    THE 

NIBELUXGS 

Through  the  gate  Siegfried  hied  him  in  his  Cloak  of 
Darkness  down  to  the  sand,  where  he  found  a  skiff. 
Secretly  the  son  of  Siegmund  embarked  and  drove  it 
quickly  hence,  as  though  the  wind  did  blow  it  on. 
None  saw  the  steersman ;  the  bark  fared  fast,  impelled 
by  Siegfried's  mighty  strength.  They  weened  a  seldom 
strong  wind  did  drive  it  on.  Nay,  it  was  rowed  by 
Siegfried,  the  son  of  Siegelind,  the  fair.  In  the  time  of 
a  day  and  night  with  might  and  main  he  reached  a  land* 
full  hundred  rests  2  away,  or  more.  The  people  hight 
Nibelungs,  where  he  owned  the  mighty  hoard.  The  hero 
rowed  alone  to  a  broad  isle,  where  the  lusty  knight  now 
beached  the  boat  and  made  it  fast  full  soon.  To  a  hill 
he  hied  him,  upon  which  stood  a  castle,  and  sought  here 
lodgment,  as  way-worn  travelers  do.  He  came  first  to 
a  gateway  that  stood  fast  locked.  In  sooth  they  guarded 
well  their  honor,  as  men  still  do.  The  stranger  now  gan 
knock  upon  the  door,  the  which  was  closely  guarded. 
There  within  he  saw  a  giant  standing,  who  kept  the  castle 
and  at  whose  side  lay  at  all  times  his  arms.  He  spake: 
"  Who  is  it  who  doth  knock  so  rudely  on  the  gate  ?  " 

Then  bold  Siegfried  changed  his  voice  and  spake  : 
"  I  am  a  knight;  do  up  the  door,  else  will  I  enrage  many 
a  one  outside  to-day,  who  would  liefer  lie  soft  and  take 
his  ease." 


66  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

When  Siegfried  thus  spake,  it  irked  the  warder. 
Meanwhile  the  giant  had  donned  his  armor  and  placed 
his  helm  upon  his  head.  Quickly  the  mighty  man 
snatched  up  his  shield  and  opened  wide  the  gate.  How 
fiercely  he  ran  at  Siegfried  and  asked,  how  he  durst 
wake  so  many  valiant  men  ?  Huge  blows  were  dealt  out 
by  his  hand.  Then  the  lordly  stranger  gan  defend  him, 
but  with  an  iron  bar  the  warder  shattered  his  shield- 
plates.  Then  was  the  hero  in  dire  need.  ■  Siegfried  gan 
fear  a  deal  his  death,  when  the  warder  struck  such 
mighty  blows.  Enow  his  master  Siegfried  loved  him 
for  this  cause.  They  strove  so  sore  that  all  the  castle 
rang  and  the  sound  was  heard  in  Nibelung's  hall.  He 
overcame  the  warder  and  bound  him,  too. 

The  tale  was  noised  abroad  in  all  the  Nibelungs' 
.land.  Alberich,  the  bold,  a  savage  dwarf,  heard  the 
fierce  struggle  through  the  mountain.  He  armed  him 
quick  and  ran  to  where  he  found  the  noble  stranger, 
as  he  bound  the  mighty  giant.  Full  wroth  was  Al- 
berich and  strong  enow.  On  his  body  he  bare  helmet 
and  rings  of  mail  and  in  his  hand  a  heavy  scourge  of 
gold.  Swift  and  hard  he  ran  to  where  Siegfried  stood. 
Seven  heavy  knobs1  hung  down  in  front,  with  which 
he  smote  so  fiercely  the  shield  upon  the  bold  man's 
arm,  that  it  brake  in  parts.  The  stately  stranger  came 
in  danger  of  his  life.  From  his  hand  he  flung  the 
broken  shield  and  thrust  into  the  sheath  a  sword,  the 
which  was  long.  He  would  not  strike  his  servant  dead, 
but  showed  his  courtly  breeding  as  his  knightly  virtue 
bade  him.  He  rushed  at  Alberich  and  with  his  powerful 
hands  he  seized  the  gray-haired  man  by  the  beard.  So 
roughly  he  pulled  his  beard,  that  he  screamed  aloud. 


HOW  SIEGFRIED  FARED  TO  THE  NIBELUNGS    67 

The  tugging  of  the  youthful  knight  hurt  Alberich 
sore. 

Loud  cried  the  valiant  dwarf  :  "  Now  spare  my  life. 
And  might  I  be  the  vassal  of  any  save  one  knight,  to 
whom  I  swore  an  oath  that  I  would  own  him  as  my 
lord,  I  'd  serve  you  till  my  death."  So  spake  the  cun- 
ning1 man. 

He  then  bound  Alberich  as  he  had  the  giant  afore. 
Full  sore  the  strength  of  Siegfried  hurt  him.  The 
dwarf  gan  ask :  "  How  are  ye  named  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Siegfried,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  deemed 
ye  knew  me  well." 

"  Well  is  me  of  these  tidings,"  spake  Alberich,  the 
dwarf.  "  Now  have  I  noted  well  the  knightly  deeds, 
through  which  ye  be  by  right  the  sovran  of  the  land. 
I  '11  do  whatso  ye  bid,  and  ye  let  me  live." 

Then  spake  Sir  Siegfried  :  "  Go  quickly  now  and 
bring  me  the  best  of  knights  we  have,  a  thousand 
Nibelungs,  that  they  may  see  me  here." 

Why  he  wanted  this,  none  heard  him  say.  He 
loosed  the  bonds  of  Alberich  and  the  giant.  Then  ran 
Alberich  swift  to  where  he  found  the  knights.  In  fear 
he  waked  the  Nibelung  men.  He  spake :  "  Up  now, 
ye  heroes,  ye  must  go  to  Siegfried." 

From  their  beds  they  sprang  and  were  ready  in  a 
trice.  A  thousand  doughty  knights  soon  stood  well 
clad.  They  hied  them  to  where  they  saw  Sir  Siegfried 
stand.  Then  was  done  a  fair  greeting,  in  part  by 
deeds.  Great  store  of  tapers  were  now  lit  up  ;  thej 
proffered  him  mulled  wine.2  He  gave  them  thanks  that 
they  were  come  so  soon.  He  spake :  "  Ye  must  away 
with  me  across  the  flood." 


68  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Full  ready  for  this  he  found  the  heroes  brave  and 
good.  Well  thirty  hundred  men  were  come  eftsoon, 
from  whom  he  chose  a  thousand  of  the  best.  Men 
brought  them  their  helmets  and  other  arms,  for  he 
would  lead  them  to  Brunhild's  land.  Pie  spake  :  "  Ye 
good  knights,  this  will  I  tell  you,  ye  must  wear  full 
costly  garments  there  at  court,  for  many  lovely  dames 
shall  gaze  upon  us.  Therefore  must  ye  deck  yourselves 
with  goodly  weeds." 

Early  on  a  morn  they  started  on  their  way.  What 
a  speedy  journey  Siegfried  won  !  They  took  with  them 
good  steeds  and  lordly  harness,  and  thus  they  came  in 
knightly  wise  to  Brunhild's  land.  The  fair  maids  stood 
upon  the  battlements.  Then  spake  the  queen :  "  Know- 
eth  any,  who  they  be  whom  I  see  sailing  yonder  far 
out  upon  the  sea?  They  have  rich  sails  e'en  whiter 
than  the  snow." 

Quoth  the  king  of  the  Rhineland :  "  They  're  men 
of  mine,  the  which  I  left  hard  by  here  on  the  way.  I 
had  them  sent  for,  and  now  they  be  come,  my  lady." 
All  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  lordly  strangers. 

Then  one  spied  Siegfried  standing  at  his  vessel's 
prow  in  lordly  weeds  and  many  other  men.  The  queen 
spake :  "  Sir  King,  pray  tell  me,  shall  I  receive  the 
strangers  or  shall  I  deny  them  greetings  ?  " 

He  spake :  "  Ye  must  go  to  meet  them  out  before 
the  palace,  that  they  may  well  perceive  how  fain  we 
be  to  see  them  here." 

Then  the  queen  did  as  the  king  advised  her.  She 
marked  out  Siegfried  with  her  greetings  from  the  rest. 
Men  purveyed  them  lodgings  and  took  in  charge  their 
trappings.   So  many  strangers  were  now  come  to  the 


HOW  SIEGFRIED  FARED  TO  THE  NIBELUNGS    69 

land,  that  everywhere  they  jostled  Brunhild's  bands. 
Now  would  the  valiant  men  fare  home  to  Burgundy. 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  My  favor  would  I  bestow 
on  him  who  could  deal  out  to  the  king's  guests  and 
mine  my  silver  and  gold,  of  which  I  have  such  store." 

To  this  Dank  wart,  King  Giselher's  liegeman, 
answered :  "  Most  noble  queen,"  spake  the  brave 
knight,  "  let  me  but  wield  the  keys.  I  trow  to  deal 
it  out  in  fitting  wise ;  whatso  of  blame  I  gain,  let  be 
mine  own."  That  he  was  bountiful,  he  made  appear 
fuU  well. 

When  now  Sir  Hagen's  brother  took  the  keys  in 
charge,  the  hero's  hand  did  proffer  many  a  costly  gift. 
He  who  craved  a  mark  1  received  such  store  that  all 
the  poor  might  lead  a  merry  life.  Full  hundred  pounds 
he  gave,  nor  did  he  stop  to  count.  Enow  walked  be- 
fore the  hall  in  rich  attire,  who  never  had  worn  afore 
such  lordly  dress.  Full  sore  it  rued  the  queen  when 
this  she  heard.  She  spake:  "Sir  King,  I  fain  would 
have  your  aid,  lest  your  chamberlain  leave  naught  of 
all  my  store  of  dress ;  he  squandereth  eke  my  gold.  If 
any  would  forfend  this,  I  'd  be  his  friend  for  aye.  He 
giveth  such  royal  gifts,  the  knight  must  ween,  for- 
sooth, that  I  have  sent  for  death.  I  would  fain  use  it 
longer  and  trow  well  myself  to  waste  that  which  my 
father  left  me."  No  queen  as  yet  hath  ever  had  so 
bounteous  a  chamberlain. 

Then  spake  Ilagen  of  Troneg:  "My  lady,  be  it 
told  you  that  the  king  of  the  Khineland  hath  such 
great  store  of  gold  and  robes  to  give,  that  we  have  no 
need  to  carry  hence  aught  of  Brunhild's  weeds." 

"  Nay,  and  ye  love  me,"  spake  the  queen,  "  let  me 


70  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

fill  twenty  traveling  chests  with  gold  and  silk  as  well, 
the  which  my  hand  shall  give,  when  we  are  come 
across  to  Gunther's  land." 

Men  filled  her  chests  with  precious  stones,  the  while 
her  chamberlains  stood  by.  She  would  not  trust  the 
duty  to  Giselher's  men.  Gunther  and  Hagen  began  to 
laugh  thereat. 

Then  spake  the  queen :  "  With  whom  shall  I  leave 
my  lands?  This  my  hand  and  yours  must  first  de- 
cree." 

Quoth  the  noble  king  :  "  Now  bid  draw  near  whom 
ye  deem  fit  and  we  will  make  him  steward." 

The  lady  spied  near  by  one  of  her  highest  kin 
(it  was  her  mother's  brother)  ;  to  him  the  maiden 
spake  :  "Now  let  be  commended  to  your  care  my 
castles  and  my  lands,  till  that  King  Gunther's  hand 
rule  here." 

Then  twenty  hundred  of  her  men  she  chose,  who 
should  fare  with  her  hence  to  Burgundy,  together  with 
those  thousand  warriors  from  the  Nibelung  land.  They 
dressed  their  journey ;  one  saw  them  riding  forth  upon 
the  sand.  Six  and  eighty  dames  they  took  along  and 
thereto  a  hundred  maids,  their  bodies  passing  fair. 
No  longer  now  they  tarried,  for  they  were  fain  to  get 
them  hence.  Ho,  what  great  wail  was  made  by  those 
they  left  at  home !  In  courtly  wise  she  voided  thus  her 
land.  She  kissed  her  nearest  kinsmen  who  were  found 
at  court.  After  a  fair  leave-taking  they  journeyed  to 
the  sea.  To  her  fatherland  the  lady  nevermore  re- 
turned. Many  kinds  of  games  were  seen  upon  the 
way  ;  pastimes  they  had  galore.  A  real  sea  breeze  did 
help  them  on  their  voyage.  Thus  they  fared  forth  from 


HOW  SIEGFRIED  FARED  TO  THE  NIBELUNGS    71 

the  land  full  merrily.  She  would  not  let  her  husband 
court  her  on  the  way;  this  pleasure  was  deferred  until 
their  wedding-tide  in  the  castle,  their  home,  at  Worms, 
to  which  in  good  time  she  came  right  joyfully  with  all 
her  knights. 


ADVENTURE   IX 

HOW    SIEGFRIED   WAS    SENT   TO    WORMS 

When  they  had  thus  fared  on  their  way  full  nine  days, 
Hagen  of  Troneg  spake :  "  Now  mark  ye  what  I  say. 
We  wait  too  long  with  the  tidings  for  Worms  upon  the 
Rhine.  Our  messengers  should  be  e'en  now  in  Bur- 
gundy." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  Ye  have  told  me  true, 
and  none  be  more  fitting  for  this  trip  than  ye,  friend 
Hagen  ;  now  ride  ye  to  my  land.  None  can  acquaint 
them  better  with  our  journey  home  to  court." 

To  this  Hagen  made  answer :  "  I  am  no  fit  envoy. 
Let  me  play  chamberlain,  I  '11  stay  with  the  ladies  upon 
the  flood  and  guard  their  robes,  until  we  bx-ing  them 
to  the  Burgnndian  land.  Bid  Siegfried  bear  the  mes- 
sage, he  knoweth  how  to  do  it  well  with  his  mighty 
strength.  If  he  refuse  you  the  journey,  then  must  ye 
in  courtly  and  gentle  wise  pray  him  of  the  boon  for 
your  sister's  sake." 

Gunther  sent  now  for  the  warrior,  who  came  to 
where  he  stood.  He  spake :  "  Sith  we  be  now  nearing 
my  lands  at  home,  it  behooveth  me  to  send  a  messenger 
to  the  dear  sister  of  mine  and  to  my  mother,  too,  that 
we  draw  near  the  Rhine.  This  I  pray  you,  Siegfried  ; 
now  do  my  will,  that  I  may  requite  it  to  you  ever," 
spake  the  good  knight. 

Siegfried,  the  passing  bold  man,  however  said  him 
nay,  till  Gunther  gan  beseech  him  sore.  He  spake :  "  Ye 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   WAS   SENT  TO   WORMS      73 

must  ride  for  my  sake  and  for  Kriemkild's  too,  the 
comely  maiden,  so  that  the  royal  maid  requite  it,  as 
well  as  I." 

AY  hen  Siegfried  heard  these  words,  full  ready  was 
the  knight.  "  Now  bid  me  what  ye  will ;  naught  shall 
be  withheld.  I  will  do  it  gladly  for  the  fair  maid's 
sake.  AYhy  should  I  refuse  her  whom  I  bear  in  heart  ? 
AVhatso  ye  command  for  love  of  her,  shall  all  be  done." 

"  Then  tell  my  mother  Uta,  the  queen,  that  we  be 
of  lofty  mood  upon  this  voyage.  Let  my  brothers  know 
how  we  have  fared.  These  tidings  must  ye  let  our 
friends  hear,  too.  Hide  naught  from  my  fair  sister,  give 
her  mine  and  Brunhild's  greetings.  Greet  the  retainers, 
too,  and  all  my  men.  How  well  I  have  ended  that  for 
which  my  heart  hath  ever  striven !  And  tell  Ortwin, 
the  dear  nephew  of  mine,  that  he  bid  seats  be  built  at 
AVorms  along  the  Rhine.  Let  my  other  kinsmen  know 
that  I  am  willed  to  hold  with  Brunhild  a  mighty  wed- 
ding feast.  And  tell  my  sister,  when  she  hath  heard 
that  I  be  come  with  my  guests  to  the  land,  that  she 
give  fair  greeting  to  my  bride.  For  that  I  will  ever 
render  Kriemhild  service." 

The  good  Lord  Siegfried  soon  took  leave  of  Lady 
Brunhild,  as  beseemed  him  well,  and  of  all  her  train  ; 
then  rode  he  to  the  Rhine.  Never  might  there  be  a 
better  envoy  in  this  world.  He  rode  with  four  and 
twenty  men-at-arms  to  Worms ;  he  came  without  the 
king.  AY  hen  that  was  noised  about,  the  courtiers  all 
were  grieved  ;  they  feared  their  master  had  been  slain. 

Then  they  dismounted  from  their  steeds,  high  stood 
their  mood._Giselher,  the  good  young  king,  came  soon 
to  meet  them,  and  Gemot  his  brother,  too.   How  quickly 


74  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

then  he  spake,  when  he  saw  not  Gunther  at  Siegfried's 
side :  "  Be  welcome,  Siegfried ;  pray  let  me  know  where 
ye  have  left  the  king  my  brother?  The  prowess  of 
Brunhild,  I  ween,  hath  ta'en  him  from  us.  Great 
scathe  had  her  haughty  love  then  brought  us." 

"  Let  be  this  fear.  My  battle-comrade  sendeth  greet 
iugs  to  you  and  to  his  kin.  I  left  him  safe  and  sound. 
He  sent  me  on  ahead,  that  I  might  be  his  messenger 
with  tidings  hither  to  this  land.  Pray  have  a  care, 
however  that  may  hap,  that  I  may  see  the  queen  and 
your  sister,  too,  for  I  must  let  them  hear  what  mes- 
sage Gunther  and  Brunhild  have  sent  them.  Both  are 
in  high  estate." 

Then  spake  Giselher,  the  youth  :  "  Now  must  ye  go 
to  her,  for  ye  have  brought  my  sister  much  of  joy.  She 
is  mickle  fearful  for  my  brother.  I  '11  answer  that  the 
maid  will  see  you  gladly." 

Then  spake  Sir  Siegfried  :  "  Howsoever  I  may  serve 
her,  that  shall  be  gladly  done,  in  faith.  Who  now  will 
tell  the  ladies  that  I  would  hie  me  thither  ?  " 

Giselher  then  became  the  messenger,  the  stately  man. 
The  doughty  knight  spake  to  his  mother  and  his  sister 
too,  when  that  he  saw  them  both  :  "  To  us  is  come 
Siegfried,  the  hero  from  Netherland  ;  him  my  brother 
Gunther  hath  sent  hither  to  the  Rhine.  He  bringeth 
the  news  of  how  it  standeth  with  the  king.  Pray  let 
him  therefore  come  to  court.  He'll  tell  you  the  right 
tidings  straight  from  Isenland." 

As  yet  the  noble  ladies  were  acquaint  with  fear,  but 
now  for  their  weeds  they  sprang  and  dressed  them  and 
bade  Sir  Siegfried  come  to  court.  This  he  did  full 
gladly,  for  he  was  fain  to  see  them.  Kriemhild,  the 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   WAS  SENT  TO   WORMS      75 

noble  maid,  addressed  him  fair :  "  Be  welcome,  Sir 
Siegfried,  most  worshipful  knight.  Where  is  my  bro- 
ther Gunther,  the  noble  and  mighty  king  ?  We  ween 
that  we  have  lost  him  throuoh  Brunhild's  strength. 
Woe  is  me,  poor  maid,  that  ever  I  was  born." 

Then  spake  the  daring  knight :  "  Now  give  me  an 
envoy's  guerdon,  ye  passing  fair  ladies,  ye  do  weep 
without  a  cause.  I  do  you  to  wit,  I  left  him  safe  and 
sound.  They  have  sent  me  with  the  tidings  to  you 
both.  He  and  his  bride  do  send  you  kindly  greetings 
and  a  kinsman's  love,  O  noble  queen.  Now  leave  off 
your  weeping,  they  '11  come  full  soon." 

In  many  a  day  she  had  not  heard  a  tale  so  glad. 
With  her  snow-white  hem  she  wiped  the  tears  from 
her  pretty  eyes  and  began  to  thank  the  messenger  for 
the  tidings,  which  now  were  come.  Thus  her  great 
sorrow  and  her  weeping  were  taken  away.  She  bade 
the  messenger  be  seated ;  full  ready  he  was  for  this. 
Then  spake  the  winsome  maid  :  "  I  should  not  rue  it, 
should  I  give  you  as  an  envoy's  meed  my  gold.  For 
that  ye  are  too  rich,  but  I  will  be  your  friend  in  other 
ways."' 

"And  had  I  alone,"  spake  he,  "thirty  lands,  yet 
would  I  gladly  receive  gifts  from  your  fair  hand." 

Then  spake  the  courtly  maid:   "  It  shall  be  done." 

She  bade  her  chamberlain  go  fetch  the  meed  for 
tidings.  Four  and  twenty  arm-rings,  set  with  goodly 
gold,  she  gave  him  as  his  meed.  So  stood  the  hero's 
mood  that  he  would  not  retain  them,  but  gave  them 
straightway  to  her  nearest  maidens,  he  found  within 
the  bower.  Full  kindly  her  mother  offered  him  her 
service.  "I  am  to  tell  you  the  tale,"  then  spake  the 


76  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

valiant  man,  "  of  what  the  king  cloth  pray  you,  when 
he  cometh  to  the  Rhine.  If  ye  perform  that,  my  lady, 
he  '11  ever  hold  you  in  his  love.  I  heard  him  crave  that 
ye  should  give  fair  greetings  to  his  noble  guests  and 
grant  him  the  boon,  that  ye  ride  to  meet  him  out 
in  front  of  Worms  upon  the  strand.  This  ye  are  right 
truly  admonished  by  the  king  to  do." 

Then  spake  the  winsome  maid  :  "  For  this  am  I  full 
ready.  In  whatsoever  wise  I  can  serve  the  king,  that 
will  I  not  refuse  ;  with  a  kinsman's  love  it  shall  be 
done."  Her  color  heightened  for  very  joy.  Never  was 
the  messenger  of  any  prince  received  more  fair.  The 
lady  would  have  kissed  him,  had  she  but  dared.  How 
lovingly  he  parted  from  the  dames  ! 

The  men  of  Burgundy  then  did  as  Siegfried  coun- 
seled. Sindolt  and  Hunolt  and  Rumolt,  the  knight, 
must  needs  be  busy  with  the  work  of  putting  up  the 
seats  outside  of  Worms  upon  the  strand.  The  royal 
stewards,  too,  were  found  at  work.  Ortwin  and  Gere 
would  not  desist,  but  sent  to  fetch  their  friends  on 
every  side,  and  made  known  to  them  the  feasting 
that  was  to  be.  The  many  comely  maids  arrayed  them- 
selves against  the  feast.  Everywhere  the  palace  and 
the  walls  were  decked  out  for  the  guests.  Gunther's 
hall  was  passing  well  purveyed  for  the  many  strangers. 
Thus  began  full  merrily  this  splendid  feast. 

From  every  side  along  the  highways  of  the  land 
pricked  now  the  kinsmen  of  these  three  kings,  who  had 
been  called  that  they  might  wait  upon  those  who  were 
coming  home.  Then  from  the  presses  great  store  of 
costly  weeds  was  taken.  Soon  tidings  were  brought  that 
men  saw  Brunhild's  kinsmen  ride  along.  Great  jostling 


HOW  SIEGFRIED   WAS   SENT  TO   WORMS      77 

then  arose  from  the  press  of  folk  in  the  Burgundian 
land.  Ho,  what  bold  knights  were  found  on  either  side  ! 
Then  spake  fair  Kriemhild  :  "  Ye  maids  of  mine, 
who  would  be  with  me  at  the  greeting,  seek  out  from 
the  chests  the  very  best  of  robes  ;  then  will  praise  and 
honor  be  given  us  by  the  guests."  Then  came  the  war- 
riors, too,  and  bade  the  lordly  saddles  of  pure  red  gold 
be  carried  forth,  on  which  the  ladies  should  ride  from 
Worms  down  to  the  Rhine.  Better  trappings  might 
there  never  be.  Ho,  what  bright  gold  did  sparkle  on 
the.jet-black  palfreys !  From  their  bridles  there  gleamed 
forth  many  a  precious  stone.  The  golden  stepping- 
blocks  were  brought  and  placed  on  shining  carpets 
for  the  ladies,  who  were  gay  of  mood.  As  I  have  said, 
the  palfreys  now  stood  ready  in  the  courtyard  for  the 
noble  maids.  One  saw  the  steeds  wear  narrow  martin- 
gales of  the  best  of  silk,  of  which  tale  might  be  told. 
Six  and  eighty  ladies  who  wore  fillets  *  in  their  hair  were 
seen  come  forth.  The  fair  ones  came  to  Kriemhild 
wearing  glittering  robes.  Then  followed  many  a  comely 
maid  in  brave  attire,  fifty  and  four  from  the  Burgun- 
dian land.  They  were  eke  the  best  that  might  anywhere 
be  found.  Men  saw  them  walking  with  their  flaxen  hair 
and  shining  ribbons.  That  which  the  king  desired  was 
done  with  zeal.  They  wore  before  the  stranger  knights 
rich  cloth  of  silk,  the  best  that  could  be  found,  and  so 
many  a  goodly  robe,  which  well  befit  their  ample  beauty. 
One  found  there  many  clothes  of  sable  and  ermine  fur. 
Many  an  arm  and  hand  was  well  adorned  with  brace- 
lets over  the  silken  sleeves,  which  they  should  wear. 
None  might  tell  the  story  of  this  tiring  to  the  end. 
Many  a  hand  played  with  well-wrought  girdles,  rich 


78  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

and  long,  above  gay  colored  robes,  over  costly  f erran  l 
skirts  of  silken  cloth  of  Araby.  In  high  spirits  were 
these  maids  of  noble  birth.  Clasps 2  were  sewed  in  lovely 
wise  upon  the  dress  of  many  a  comely  maid.  She  had 
good  cause  to  rue  it,  whose  bright  color  did  not  shine 
in  contrast  to  her  weeds.  No  kingly  race'  hath  now  such 
fair  retainers.  When  now  the  lovely  maids  had  donned 
the  garments  they  should  wear,  there  then  drew  near  a 
mickle  band  of  high-mettled  champions.  Together  with 
their  shields  they  carried  many  an  ashen  spear. 


ADVENTURE  X 

HOW   BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED    AT   WORMS 

ACROSS  the  Rhine  men  saw  the  king  with  his  guests  in 
many  bands  pricking  to  the  shore.  One  saw  the  horse 
of  many  a  maiden,  too,  led  by  the  bridle.  All  those 
who  should  give  them  welcome  were  ready  now.   When 
those  of  Isenland  and  Siegfried's  Nibelung  men  were 
come  across  in  boats,  they  hasted  to  the  shore  (not  idle 
were  their  hands),  where  the  kindred  of  the  king  were 
seen  upon  the  other  bank.  Now  hear  this  tale,  too,  of 
the  queen,  the  noble  Uta,  how  she  herself  rode  hither 
with  the  maidens  from  the  castle.  Then  many  a  knight 
and  maid  became  acquaint.   Duke  Gere  led  Kriemhild's 
palfrey  by  the  bridle  till  just  outside  the  castle  gate. 
Siegfried,  the  valiant  knight,  must  needs  attend  her 
further.  A  fair  maid  was  she !   Later  the  noble  dame 
requited  well    this  deed.    Ortwin,   the  bold,  rode  by 
Lady  Uta's  side,  and  many  knights  and  maidens  rode 
in  pairs.  Well  may  we  aver  that  so  many  dames  were 
never  seen  together  at  such  stately  greeting.  Many  a 
splendid  joust  was  ridden  by  worshipful  knights  (not 
well  might  it  be  left  undone)  afore  Kriemhild,  the  fair, 
down  to  the  ships.   Then  the  fair-fashioned  ladies  were 
lifted  from  the  palfreys.  The  king  was  come  across  and 
many  a  worthy  guest.  Ho,  what  stout  lances  brake  be- 
fore the  ladies'  eyes!  One  heard  the  clash  of  many 
hurtling  shields.   Ho,  what  costly  bucklers  rang  loudly 
as  they  closed !   The  lovely  fair  stood  by  the  shore  as 


80  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Gunther  and  his  guests  alighted  from  the  boats  ;  he 
himself  led  Brunhild  by  the  hand.  Bright  gems  and 
gleaming  armor  shone  forth  in  rivalry.  Lady  Kriem- 
hild  walked  with  courtly  breeding  to  meet  Dame  Brun- 
hild and  her  train.  White  hands  removed  the  chaplets,1 
as  these  twain  kissed  each  other ;  through  deference 
this  was  done. 

Then  in  courteous  wise  the  maiden  Kriemhild  spake  : 
"  Be  ye  welcome  in  these  lands  of  ours,  to  me  and  to 
my  mother  and  to  all  the  loyal  kin  we  have." 

Low  bows  were  made  and  the  ladies  now  embraced 
full  oft.  Such  loving  greeting  hath  one  never  heard, 
as  the  two  ladies,  Dame  Uta  and  her  daughter,  gave 
the  bride ;  upon  her  sweet  mouth  they  kissed  her  oft. 
When  now  Brunhild's  ladies  all  were  come  to  land, 
stately  knights  took  many  a  comely  woman  by  the  hand 
in  loving  wise.  The  fair-fashioned  maids  were  seen  to 
stand  before  the  Lady  Brunhild.  Long  time  elasped  or 
ever  the  greetings  all  were  done  ;  many  a  rose-red  mouth 
was  kissed,  in  sooth.  Still  side  by  side  the  noble  prin- 
cesses stood,  which  liked  full  well  the  doughty  warriors 
for  to  see.  They  who  had  heard  men  boast  afore  that 
such  beauty  had  ne'er  been  seen  as  these  two  dames 
possessed,  spied  now  with  all  their  eyes  and  must  con- 
fess the  truth.  Nor  did  one  see  upon  their  persons 
cheats  of  any  kind.  Those  who  wot  how  to  judge  of 
women  and  lovely  charms,  praised  Gunther's  bride  for 
beauty ;  but  the  wise  had  seen  more  clear  and  spake, 
that  one  must  give  Kriemhild  the  palm  before  Brun- 
hild. 

Maids  and  ladies  now  drew  near  each  other.  Many 
a  comely  dame  was  seen  arrayed  full  well.  Silken  tents 


HOW   BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED   AT   WORMS     81 

ami  many  rich  pavilions  stood  hard  by,  the  which  quite 
filled  the  plain  of  Worms.  The  kinsmen  of  the  king 
came  crowding  around,  when  Brunhild  and  Kriemhild 
and  with  them  all  the  dames  were  bidden  go  to  where 
shade  was  found.  Thither  the  knights  from  the  Bur- 
gundian  land  escorted  them. 

Now  were  the  strangers  come  to  horse,  and  shields 
were  pierced  in  many  royal  jousts.  From  the  plain  the 
dust  gan  rise,  as  though  the  whole  land  had  burst  forth 
into  flames.  There  many  a  knight  became  well  known 
as  champion.  Many  a  maiden  saw  what  there  the  war- 
riors plied.  Methinks,  Sir  Siegfried  and  his  knights 
rode  many  a  turn  afore  the  tents.  He  led  a  thousand 
stately  Nibelungs. 

Then  Hagen  of  Troneg  came,  as  the  king  had  coun- 
seled, and  parted  in  gentle  wise  the  jousting,  that  the 
fair  maids  be  not  covered  with  the  dust,  the  which  the 
strangers  willingly  obeyed.  Then  spake  Sir  Gemot : 
"  Let  stand  the  steeds  till  the  air  grow  cooler,  for  ye 
must  be  full  ready  when  that  the  king  will  ride.  Mean- 
wliile  let  us  serve  the  comely  dames  before  the  spa- 
cious hall." 

When  now  over  all  the  plain  the  jousts  had  ceased, 
the  knights,  on  pastime  bent,  hied  them  to  the  ladies 
under  many  a  high  pavilion  in  the  hope  of  lofty  joys. 
There  they  passed  the  hours  until  they  were  minded 
to  ride  away. 

Just  at  eventide,  when  the  sun  was  setting  and  the 
air  grew  chill,  no  longer  they  delayed,  but  man  and 
woman  hasted  toward  the  castle.  Many  a  comely  maiden 
was  caressed  with  loving  glances.  In  jousting  great 
store  of  clothes  were  torn  by  good  knights,  by  the  high- 


82  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

mettled  warriors,  after  the  custom  of  the  land,  until 
the  king  dismounted  by  the  hall.  Valiant  heroes  helped 
the  ladies,  as  is  their  wont.  The  noble  queens  then 
parted  ;  Lady  Uta  and  her  daughter  went  with  their 
train  to  a  spacious  hall,  where  great  noise  of  merri- 
ment was  heard  on  every  side. 

The  seats  were  now  made  ready,  for  the  king  would 
go  to  table  with  his  guests.  At  his  side  men  saw  fair 
Brunhild  stand,  wearing  the  crown  in  the  king's  do- 
main. Royal  enow  she  was  in  sooth.  Good  broad  tables, 
with  full  many  benches  for  the  men,  were  set  with 
vitaille,  as  we  are  told.  Little  they  lacked  that  they 
should  have !  At  the  king's  table  many  a  lordly  guest 
was  seen.  The  chamberlains  of  the  host  bare  water 
forth  in  basins  of  ruddy  gold.  It  were  but  in  vain, 
if  any  told  you  that  men  were  ever  better  served  at 
princes'  feasts :   I  would  not  believe  you  that. 

Before  the  lord  of  the  Rhineland  took  the  water  to 
wash  his  hands,  Siegfried  did  as  was  but  meet,  he 
minded  him  by  his  troth  of  what  he  had  promised,  or 
ever  he  had  seen  Brunhild  at  home  in  Isenland.  He 
spake  :  "  Ye  must  remember  how  ye  swore  me  by  your 
hand,  that  when  Lady  Brunhild  came  to  this  land,  ye 
would  give  me  your  sister  to  wife.  Where  be  now 
these  oaths  ?  I  have  suffered  mickle  hardship  on  our 
trip." 

Then  spake  the  king  to  his  guest :  "  Rightly  have 
ye  minded  me.  Certes  my  hand  shall  not  be  perjured. 
I  '11  bring  it  to  pass  as  best  I  can." 

Then  they  bade  Kriemhild  go  to  court  before  the 
king.  She  came  with  her  fair  maidens  to  the  entrance 
of  the  hall.  At  this   Sir  Giselher  sprang  down  the 


HOW  BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED   AT   WORMS     83 

steps.  "  Now  bid  these  maidens  turn  again.  None  save 
my  sister  alone  shall  be  hei*e  by  the  king." 

Then  they  brought  Kriemhild  to  where  the  king  was 
found.  There  stood  noble  knights  from  many  princes' 
lands  ;  throughout  the  broad  hall  one  bade  them  stand 
quite  still.  By  this  time  Lady  Brunhild  had  stepped 
to  the  table,  too.  Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  Sweet 
sister  mine,  by  thy  courtesie  redeem  my  oath.  I  swore 
to  give  thee  to  a  knight,  and  if  he  become  thy  husband, 
then  hast  thou  done  my  will  most  loyally." 

Quoth  the  noble  maid  :  "  Dear  brother  mine,  ye 
must  not  thus  entreat  me.  Certes  I  '11  be  ever  so,  that 
whatever  ye  command,  that  shall  be  done.  I  '11  gladly 
pledge  my  ti"oth  to  him  whom  ye,  my  lord,  do  give  me 
to  husband." 

Siegfried  here  grew  red  at  the  glance  of  friendly 
eyes.  The  knight  then  proffered  his  service  to  Lady 
Kriemhild.  Men  bade  them  take  their  stand  at  each 
other's  side  within  the  ring  and  asked  if  she  would 
take  the  stately  man.  In  maidenly  modesty  she  was 
a  deal  abashed,  yet  such  was  Siegfried's  luck  and  for- 
tune, that  she  would  not  refuse  him  out  of  hand.  The 
noble  king  of  Netherland  vowed  to  take  her,  too,  to 
wife.  When  he  and  the  maid  had  pledged  then-  troths, 
Siegfried's  arm  embraced  eftsoon  the  winsome  maid. 
Then  the  fair  queen  was  kissed  before  the  knights. 
The  courtiers  parted,  when  that  had  happed  ;  on  the 
bench  over  against  the  king  Siegfried  was  seen  to  take 
his  seat  with  Kriemhild.  Thither  many  a  man  accom- 
panied him  as  servitor ;  men  saw  the  Nibelungs  walk 
at  Siegfried's  side. 

The  king  had  seated  him  with  Brunhild,  the  maid, 


84  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

when  she  espied  Kriemhild  (naught  had  ever  irked  her 
so)  sitting  at  Siegfried's  side.  She  began  to  weep  and 
hot  tears  coursed  down  fair  cheeks.  Quoth  the  lord  of 
the  land  :  "  What  aileth  you,  my  lady,  that  ye  let  bright 
eyes  grow  dim  ?  Ye  may  well  rejoice ;  my  castles  and 
my  land  and  many  a  stately  vassal  own  your  sway." 

"  I  have  good  cause  to  weep,"  spake  the  comely  maid ; 
"  my  heart  is  sore  because  of  thy  sister,  whom  I  see 
sitting  so  near  thy  vassal's  side.  I  must  ever  weep  that 
she  be  so  demeaned." 

Then  spake  the  King  Gunther :  "  Ye  would  do  well 
to  hold  your  peace.  At  another  time  I  will  tell  you  the 
tale  of  why  I  gave  Siegfried  my  sister  unto  wife.  Certes 
she  may  well  live  ever  happily  with  the  knight." 

She  spake  :  "  I  sorrow  ever  for  her  beauty  and  her 
courtesie.  I  fain  would  flee,  and  I  wist  whither  I  might 
go,  for  never  will  I  lie  close  by  your  side,  unless  ye  tell 
me  through  what  cause  Kriemhild  be  Siegfried's  bride." 

Then  spake  the  noble  king :  "  I  "11  do  it  you  to  wit ; 
he  hath  castles  and  broad  domains,  as  well  as  I.  Know 
of  a  truth,  he  is  a  mighty  king,  therefore  did  I  give  him 
the  peerless  maid  to  love." 

But  whatsoever  the  king  might  say,  she  remained 
full  sad  of  mood. 

Now  many  a  good  knight  hastened  from  the  board. 
Their  hurtling  waxed  so  passing  hard,  that  the  whole 
castle  rang.  But  the  host  was  weary  of  his  guests.  Him- 
thought  that  he  might  lie  more  soft  at  his  fair  lady's 
side.  As  yet  he  had  not  lost  at  all  the  hope  that  much 
of  joy  might  hap  to  him  through  her.  Lovingly  he  be- 
gan to  gaze  on  Lady  Brunhild.  Men  bade  the  guests 
leave  off  their  knightly  games,  for  the  king  and  his 


HOW   BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED  AT  WORMS     85 

wife  would  go  to  bed.  Brunhild  and  Kriemhild  then  met 
before  the  stairway  of  the  hall,  as  yet  without  the  hate 
of  either.  Then  came  their  retinue.  Noble  chamberlains 
delayed  not,  but  brought  them  lights.  The  warriors,  the 
liegemen  of  the  two  kings,  then  parted  on  either  side  and 
many  of  the  knights  were  seen  to  walk  with  Siegfried. 
The  lords  were  now  come  to  the  rooms  where  they 
should  lie.  Each  of  the  twain  thought  to  conquer  by 
love  his  winsome  dame.  This  made  them  blithe  of 
mood.  Siegfried's  pleasure  on  that  night  was  passing 
great.  When  Lord  Siegfried  lay  at  Kriemhild's  side 
and  with  his  noble  love  caressed  the  high-born  maid  so 
tenderly,  she  grew  as  dear  to  him  as  life,  so  that  not 
for  a  thousand  other  women  would  he  have  given  her 
alone.  No  more  I  '11  tell  how  Siegfried  wooed  his  wife ; 
hear  now  the  tale  of  how  King  Gunther  lay  by  Lady 
Brunhild's  side.  The  stately  knight  had  often  lain  more 
softby  other  dames.  The  courtiers  now  had  left,  both 
maid  and  man.  The  chamber  soon  was  locked ;  he  thought 
to  caress  the  lovely  maid.  Forsooth  the  time  was  still  far 
off,  ere  she  became  his  wife.  In  a  smock  of  snowy  linen 
she  went  to  bed.  Then  thought  the  noble  knight :  "  Now 
have  I  here  all  that  I  have  ever  craved  in  all  my  days." 
By  rights  she  must  needs  please  him  through  her  come- 
liness. The  noble  king  gan  shroud  the  lights  and  then 
the  bold  knight  hied  him  to  where  the  lady  lay.  He  laid 
him  at  her  side,  and  great  was  his  joy  when  in  his  arms 
he  clasped  the  lovely  fair.  Many  loving  caresses  he 
might  have  given,  had  but  the  noble  dame  allowed  it. 
She  waxed  so  wroth  that  he  was  sore  a-troubled;  he 
weened  that  they  were  lovers,  but  he  found  here  hostile 
hate.    She  spake :  "  Sir  Knight,  pray  give  this  over, 


86  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

which  now  ye  hope.  Forsooth  this  may  not  hap,  for  I 
will  still  remain  a  maid,  until  I  hear  the  tale ;  now 
mark  ye  that." 

Then  Gunther  grew  wroth ;  he  struggled  for  her  love 
and  rumpled  all  her  clothes.  The  high-born  maid  then 
seized  her  girdle,  the  which  was  a  stout  band  she  wore 
around  her  waist,  and  with  it  she  wrought  the  king 
great  wrong  enow.  She  bound  him  hand  and  foot  and 
bare  him  to  a  nail  and  hung-  him  on  the  wall.  She  for- 
bade him  love,  sith  he  disturbed  her  sleep.  Of  a  truth 
he  came  full  nigh  to  death  through  her  great  strength. 

Then  he  who  had  weened  to  be  the  master,  began 
to  plead.  "  Now  loose  my  bands,  most  noble  queen.  I 
no  longer  trow  to  conquer  you,  fair  lady,  and  full  sel- 
dom will  I  lie  so  near  your  side." 

She  recked  not  how  he  felt,  for  she  lay  full  soft. 
There  he  had  to  hang  all  night  till  break  of  day,  until 
the  bright  morn  shone  through  the  casements.  Had  he 
ever  had  great  strength,  it  was  little  seen  upon  him  now. 

"  Now  tell  me,  Sir  Gunther,  would  that  irk  you 
aught,"  the  fair  maid  spake,  "  and  your  servants  found 
you  bound  by  a  woman's  hand  ?  " 

Then  spake  the  noble  knight :  "  That  would  serve 
you  ill ;  nor  would  it  gain  me  honor,"  spake  the  doughty 
man.  "  By  your  courtesie,  pray  let  me  lie  now  by  your 
side.  Sith  that  my  love  mislike  you  so,  I  will  not  touch 
your  garment  with  my  hands." 

Then  she  loosed  him  soon  and  let  him  rise.  To  the 
bed  again,  to  the  lady  he  went  and  laid  him  down  so  far 
away,  that  thereafter  he  f idl  seldom  touched  her  comely 
weeds.  Nor  would  she  have  allowed  it. 

Then  their  servants  came  and  brought  them  new 


HOW  BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED   AT  WORMS    87 

attire,  of  which  great  store  was  ready  for  them  against 
the  morn.  However  merry  men  made,  the  lord  of  the 
land  was  sad  enow,  albeit  he  wore  a  crown  that  day. 
As  was  the  usage  which  they  had  and  which  they  kept 
by  right,  Gunther  and  Brunhild  no  longer  tarried, 
but  hied  them  to  the  minster,  where  mass  was  sung. 
Thither,  too,  Sir  Siegfried  came  and  a  great  press  arose 
among  the  crowd.  In  keeping  with  their  royal  rank, 
there  was  ready  for  them  all  that  they  did  need,  their 
crowns  and  robes  as  well.  Then  they  were  consecrated. 
When  this  was  done,  all  four  were  seen  to  stand  joy- 
ful 'neath  their  crowns.  Many  young  squires,  six 
hundred  or  better,  were  now  girt  with  sword  in  honor 
of  the  kings,  as  ye  must  know.  Great  joy  rose  then  in 
the  Burgundian  land ;  one  heard  spear-shafts  clashing 
in  the  hands  of  the  sworded  knights.  There  at  the 
windows  the  fair  maids  sat ;  they  saw  shining  afore 
them  the  gleam  of  many  a  shield.  But  the  king  had 
sundered  him  from  his  liegemen  ;  whatso  others  plied, 
men  saw  him  stand  full  sad.  Unlike  stood  his  and 
Siegfried's  mood.  The  noble  knight  and  good  would 
fain  have  known  what  ailed  the  king.  He  hasted  to 
him  and  gan  ask :  "  Pray  let  me  know  how  ye  have 
fared  this  night,  Sir  King." 

Then  spake  the  king  to  his  guest :  "  Shame  and  dis- 
grace have  I  won  ;  I  have  brought  a  fell  devil  to  my 
house  and  home.  When  I  weened  to  love  her,  she  bound 
me  sore  ;  she  bare  me  to  a  nail  and  hung  me  high  upon 
a  wall.  There  I  hung  affrighted  all  night  until  the  day, 
or  ever  she  unbound  me.  How  softly  she  lay  bedded 
there  !  In  hope  of  thy  pity  do  I  make  plaint  to  thee 
as  friend  to  friend." 


88  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  spake  stout  Siegfried :  "  That  rueth  me  in 
truth.  I'll  do  you  this  to  wit;  and  ye  allow  me  with- 
out distrust,  I  '11  contrive  that  she  lie  by  you  so  near 
this  night,  that  she  '11  nevermore  withhold  from  you 
her  love." 

After  all  his  hardships  Gunther  liked  well  this 
speech.  Sir  Siegfried  spake  again  :  "  Thou  mayst  well 
be  of  good  cheer.  I  ween  we  fared  unlike  last  night. 
Thy  sister  Kriemhild  is  dearer  to  me  than  life ;  the 
Lady  Brunhild  must  become  thy  wife  to-night.  I  '11 
come  to  thy  chamber  this  night,  so  secretly  in  my  Cloud 
Cloak,  that  none  may  note  at  all  my  arts.  Then  let  the 
chamberlains  betake  them  to  their  lodgings  and  I  '11 
put  out  the  lights  in  the  pages'  hands,  whereby  thou 
mayst  know  that  I  be  within  and  that  I  '11  gladly  serve 
thee.  I  '11  tame  for  thee  thy  wife,  that  thou  mayst  have 
her  love  to-night,  or  else  I  '11  lose  my  life." 

"  Unless  be  thou  embrace  my  dear  lady,"  spake  then 
the  king,  "  I  shall  be  glad,  if  thou  do  to  her  as  thou 
dost  list.  I  could  endure  it  well,  an'  thou  didst  take 
her  life.  In  sooth  she  is  a  fearful  wife." 

"  I  pledge  upon  my  troth,"  quoth  Siegfried,  "  that 
I  will  not  embrace  her.  The  fair  sister  of  thine,  she  is 
to  me  above  all  maids  that  I  have  ever  seen." 

Gunther  believed  full  well  what  Siegfried  spake. 

From  the  knightly  sports  there  came  both  joy  and 
woe  ;  but  men  forbade  the  hurtling  and  the  shouting, 
since  now  the  ladies  were  to  hie  them  to  the  hall.  The 
groom s-in- waiting  bade  the  people  stand  aside ;  the 
court  was  cleared  of  steeds  and  folk.  A  bishop  led 
each  of  the  ladies,  as  they  should  go  to  table  in 
the  presence  of  the  kings.  Many  a  stately  warrior  fol- 


HOW  BRUNHILD    WAS   RECEIVED   AT   WORMS     89 

lowed  to  the  seats.  In  fair  hope  the  king  sate  now  full 
merrily  ;  well  he  thought  on  that  which  Siegfried  had 
vowed  to  do.  This  one  day  thought  him  as  Ions;  as 
thirty  days,  for  all  his  thoughts  were  bent  upon  his 
lady's  love.  He  could  scarce  abide  the  time  to  leave  the 
board.  Now  men  let  fair  Brunhild  and  Kriemhild,  too, 
both  go  to  their  rest.  Ho,  what  doughty  knights  were 
seen  to  walk  before  the  queens ! 

The  Lord  Siegfried  sate  in  loving  wise  by  his  fair 
wife,  in  bliss  without  alloy.  "With  her  snow-white  hands 
she  fondled  his,  till  that  he  vanished  from  before  her 
eyes,  she  wist  not  when.  When  now  she  no  longer 
spied  him,  as  she  toyed,  the  queen  spake  to  his  follow- 
ers :  "  Much  this  wondereth  me,  whither  the  king  be 
gone.   Who  hath  taken  his  hands  from  mine  ?  " 

She  spake  no  other  word,  but  he  was  gone  to  where 
he  found  many  grooms  of  the  chamber  stand  with  lights. 
These  he  gan  snuff  out  in  the  pages'  hands.  Thus 
Gunther  knew  that  it  was  Siegfried.  Well  wist  he 
what  he  would  ;  he  bade  the  maids  and  ladies  now  with- 
draw. When  that  was  done,  the  mighty  king  himself 
made  fast  the  door  and  nimbly  shoved  in  place  two 
sturdy  bolts.  Quickly  then  he  hid  the  lights  behind 
the  hangings  of  the  bed.  Stout  Siegfried  and  the 
maiden  now  began  a  play  (for  this  there  was  no  help) 
which  was  both  lief  and  loth  to  Gunther.  Siegfried 
laid  him  close  by  the  high-born  maid.  She  spake : 
"  Now,  Gunther,  let  that  be,  and  it  be  lief  to  you,  that 
ye  suffer  not  hardship  as  afore." 

Then  the  lady  hurt  bold  Siegfried  sore.  He  held 
his  peace  and  answered  not  a  whit.  Gunther  heard 
well,  though  he  could  not  see  his  friend  a  bit,  that 


90  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

they  plied  not  secret  things,  for  little  ease  they  had 
upon  the  bed.  Siegfried  bare  him  as  though  he  were 
Gunther,  the  mighty  king.  In  his  arms  he  clasped  the 
lovely  maid.  She  cast  him  from  the  bed  upon  a  bench 
near  by,  so  that  his  head  struck  loudly  against  the  stool. 
Up  sprang  the  valiant  man  with  all  his  might ;  fain 
would  he  try  again.  When  he  thought  now  to  subdue 
her,  she  hurt  him  sore.  Such  defense,  I  ween,  might 
nevermore  be  made  by  any  wife. 

When  he  would  not  desist,  up  sprang  the  maid. 
"  Ye  shall  not  rumple  thus  my  shift  so  white.  Ye  are 
a  clumsy  churl  and  it  shall  rue  you  sore,  I  '11  have  you 
to  know  full  well,"  spake  the  comely  maid.  In  her 
arms  she  grasped  the  peerless  knight ;  she  weened  to 
bind  him,  as  she  had  done  the  king,  that  she  might 
have  her  ease  upon  the  bed.  The  lady  avenged  full 
sore,  that  he  had  rumpled  thus  her  clothes.  What 
availed  his  mickle  force  and  his  giant  strength  ?  She 
showed  the  knight  her  masterly  strength  of  limb ;  she 
carried  him  by  force  (and  that  must  needs  be)  and 
pressed  him  rudely  'twixt  a  clothes-press  and  the  wall. 

"  Alas,"  so  thought  the  knight,  "  if  now  I  lose  my 
life  at  a  maiden's  hands,  then  may  all  wives  hereafter 
bear  towards  their  husbands  haughty  mien,  who  would 
never  do  it  else." 

The  king  heard  it  well  and  feared  him  for  his  liege- 
man's life.  Siegf ried  was  sore  ashamed ;  wrathful  he 
waxed  and  with  surpassing  strength  he  set  himself 
against  her  and  tried  it  again  with  Lady  Brunhild  in 
fearfid  wise.  It  thought  the  king  full  long,  before  he 
conquered  her.  She  pressed  his  hands,  till  from  her 
strength  the  blood  gushed  forth  from  out  the  nails  : 


HOW   BRUNHILD   WAS   RECEIVED   AT  WORMS     91 

this  irked  the  hero.  Therefore  he  brought  the  high- 
born maiden  to  the  pass  that  she  gave  over  her  unruly 
will,  which  she  asserted  there  afore.  The  king  heard 
all,  albeit  not  a  word  he  spake.  Siegfried  pressed  her 
against  the  bed,  so  that  she  shrieked  aloud.  Passing 
sore  his  strength  did  hurt  her.  She  grasped  the  girdle 
around  her  waist  and  would  fain  have  bound  him, 
but  his  hand  prevented  it  in  such  a  wise  that  her  limbs 
and  all  her  body  cracked.  Thus  the  strife  was  parted 
and  she  became  King  Gunther's  wife. 

She  spake  :  "  Most  noble  king,  pray  spare  my  life. 
I  '11  do  thee  remedy  for  whatso  I  have  done  thee.  I  '11 
no  longer  struggle  against  thy  noble  love,  for  I  have 
learned  full  well  that  thou  canst  make  thee  master 
over  women." 

Siegfried  let  the  maiden  lie  and  stepped  away,  as 
though  he  would  do  off  his  clothes.  From  her  hand  he 
drew  a  golden  finger  ring,  without  that  she  wist  it,  the 
noble  queen.  Thereto  he  took  her  girdle,  a  good  stout 
band.  I  know  not  if  he  did  that  for  very  haughtiness. 
He  gave  it  to  his  wife  and  rued  it  sore  in  after  time. 

Then  lay  Gunther  and  the  fair  maid  side  by  side. 
lie  played  the  lover,  as  beseemed  him,  and  thus  she 
must  needs  give  over  wrath  and  shame.  From  his  em- 
brace a  little  pale  she  grew.  Ho,  how  her  great  strength 
failed  through  love !  Now  was  she  no  stronger  than 
any  other  wife.  He  caressed  her  lovely  form  in  lover's 
wise.  Had  she  tried  her  strength  again,  what  had  that 
availed?  All  this  had  Gunther  wrought  in  her  by  his 
love.  How  right  lovingly  she  lay  beside  him  in  bridal 
joy  until  the  dawn  of  day  ! 

Now  was  Sir  Siegfried  gone  again  to  where  he  was 


92  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

given  fair  greetings  by  a  woman  fashioned  fair.  He 
turned  aside  the  question  she  had  thought  to  put  and 
hid  long  time  from  her  what  he  had  brought,  until  she 
ruled  as  queen  within  his  land.  How  little  he  refused 
to  give  her  what  he  should  ! 

On  the  morn  the  host  was  far  cheerier  of  mood  than 
he  had  been  afore.  Through  this  the  joy  of  many  a 
noble  man  was  great  in  all  his  lands,  whom  he  had 
bidden  to  his  court,  and  to  whom  he  proffered  much 
of  service.  The  wedding  feast  now  lasted  till  the  four- 
teenth day,  so  that  in  all  this  while  the  sound  never 
died  away  of  the  many  joys  which  there  they  plied. 
The  cost  to  the  king  was  rated  high.  The  kinsmen  of 
the  noble  host  gave  gifts  in  his  honor  to  the  strolling 
folk,  as  the  king  commanded  :  vesture  and  ruddy  gold, 
steeds  and  silver,  too.  Those  who  there  craved  gifts 
departed  hence  full  merrily.  Siegfried,  the  lord  from 
Netherland,  with  a  thousand  of  his  men,  gave  quite 
away  the  garments  they  had  brought  with  them  to 
the  Rhine  and  steeds  and  saddles,  too.  Full  well  they 
wot  how  to  live  in  lordly  wise.  Those  who  would  home 
again  thought  the  time  too  long  till  the  rich  gifts 
had  all  been  made.  Nevermore  have  guests  been  better 
eased.  Thus  ended  the  wedding  feast ;  Gunther,  the 
knight,  would  have  it  so. 


ADVENTURE   XI 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    JOURNEYED    HOMEWARD    WITH    HIS 

WIFE 

When  now  the  strangers  had  all  ridden  hence,  Sieg- 
mund's  son  spake  to  his  fellowship :  kt  We  must  make  us 
ready,  too,  to  journey  to  my  lands." 

Lief  was  it  to  his  wife,  when  the  lady  heard  the  tale 
aright.  She  spake  to  her  husband  :  kk  When  shall  we 
ride  ?  I  pray  thee,  make  me  not  haste  too  sore.  First 
must  my  brothers  share  their  lands  with  me." 

It  was  loth  to  Siegfried,  when  he  heard  this  from 
Kriemhild.  The  lordings  hied  them  to  him  and  all 
three  spake  :  "  Now  may  ye  know,  Sir  Siegfried,  that 
our  true  service  be  ever  at  your  bidding  till  our  death." 

Then  he  made  obeisance  to  the  knights,  as  it  was 
proffered  him  in  such  kindly  wise.  "  We  shall  share 
with  you,"  spake  Giselher,  the  youth,  "  both  land  and 
castles  which  we  do  own  and  whatever  broad  realms 
be  subject  to  our  power.  Of  these  ye  and  Kriemhild 
shall  have  a  goodly  share." 

The  son  of  Siegmund  spake  to  the  princes,  as  he 
heard  and  saw  the  lordings'  will:  "God  grant  that  ye 
be  ever  happy  with  your  heritage  and  the  folk  therein. 
My  dear  bride  can  well  forego  in  truth  the  share  which 
ye  would  give.  There  where  she  shall  wear  a  crown, 
she  shall  be  mightier  than  any  one  alive,  an'  I  live 
to  see  the;  day.  For  whatsoever  else  ye  do  command, 
I  stand  ready  to  your  bidding." 


94  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  spake  the  Lady  Kriemhild:  "Though  ye 
forego  my  heritage,  yet  is  it  not  so  light  a  matter  with 
the  Burgundian  men-at-arms.  A  king  might  gladly 
lead  them  to  his  land.  Forsooth  my  brothers'  hands 
must  share  them  with  me." 

Then  spake  the  Lord  Gemot :  "  Now  take  whomso- 
ever thou  dost  wish.  Thou  wilt  find  here  many  a  one 
who  '11  gladly  ride  with  thee.  We  will  give  thee  a  thou- 
sand of  our  thirty  hundred  warriors  ;  be  they  thy  court 
retainers." 

Kriemhild  then  gan  send  for  Hagen  of  Troneg  and 
also  for  Ortwin,  to  ask  if  they  and  their  kinsfolk  would 
be  Kriemhild's  men. 

At  this  Hagen  waxed  wonderly  wroth.  He  spake  : 
"  Certes,  Gunther  may  not  give  us  to  any  in  the  world. 
Let  others  follow  as  your  train.  Ye  know  full  well 
the  custom  of  the  men  of  Troneg :  we  must  in  duty 
bound  i-emain  here  with  the  kings  at  court.  We  must 
serve  them  longer,  whom  we  till  now  have  followed." 

They  gave  that  over  and  made  them  ready  to  ride 
away.  Lady  Kriemhild  gained  for  herself  two  and 
thirty  maids  and  five  hundred  men,  a  noble  train.  The 
Margrave  Eckewart '  followed  Kriemhild  hence.  They 
all  took  leave,  both  knights  and  squires  and  maids  and 
ladies,  as  wras  mickle  right.  Anon  they  parted  with  a 
kiss  and  voided  merrily  King  Gunther's  land.  Their 
kinsmen  bare  them  company  far  upon  the  way  and  bade 
them  pitch  their  quarters  for  the  night,  whereso  they 
listed,  throughout  the  princes'  land. 

Then  messengers  were  sent  eftsoon  to  Siegmund, 
that  he  might  know,  and  Siegelind,  too,  that  his  son 
would  come  with  Lady  Uta's  child,  Kriemhild,  the 


HOW  SIEGFRIED  JOURNEYED   HOMEWARD    95 

fair,  from  Worms  beyond  the  Rhine.  Liefer  tidings 
might  they  never  have.  "  Well  for  me,"  spake  then 
Siegmund,  "  that  I  have  lived  to  see  fair  Kriemhild 
here  as  queen.  My  heritage  will  be  thereby  enhanced. 
My  son,  the  noble  Siegfried,  shall  himself  be  king." 

Then  the  Lady  Siegelind  gave  much  red  velvet,  silver, 
and  heavy  gold  ;  this  was  the  envoy's  meed.  The  tale 
well  liked  her,  which  then  she  heard.  She  clad  her  and 
her  handmaids  with  care,  as  did  beseem  them.  Men 
told  who  was  to  come  with  Siegfried  to  the  land.  Anon 
they  bade  seats  be  raised,  where  he  should  walk 
crowned  before  his  friends.  King  Siegmund's  liegemen 
then  rode  forth  to  meet  him.  Hath  any  been  ever  better 
greeted  than  the  famous  hero  in  Siegmund's  land,  I 
know  it  not.  Siegelind,  the  fair,  rode  forth  to  meet 
Kriemhild  with  many  a  comely  dame  (lusty  knights 
did  follow  on  behind),  a  full  day's  journey,  till  one 
espied  the  guests.  Home-folk  and  the  strangers  had 
little  easement  till  they  were  come  to  a  spacious  castle, 
bight  Xanten,1  where  they  later  reigned. 

Smilingly  Siegelind  and  Siegmund  kissed  Kriemhild 
many  times  for  joy  and  Siegfried,  too;  their  sorrow- 
was  taken  from  them.  All  their  fellowship  received 
great  welcome.  One  bade  now  bring  the  guests  to 
Siegmund's  hall,  and  lifted  the  fair  young  maids  down 
from  the  palfreys.  Many  a  knight  gan  serve  the  comely 
dames  with  zeal.  However  great  the  feasting  at  the 
Rhine  was  known  to  be,  here  one  gave  the  heroes  much 
better  robes  than  they  had  worn  in  all  their  days.  Of 
their  splender  great  marvels  might  be  told.  When  now 
they  sate  in  lofty  honors  and  had  enow  of  all,  what 
gold-hued  clothes   their  courtiers  wore  with  precious 


96  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

stones  well  worked  thereon  !  Thus  did  Siegelind,  the 
noble  queen,  purvey  them  well. 

Then  to  his  friends  Lord  Siegmund  spake  :  "  I  do 
all  Siegfried's  kin  to  wit,  that  he  shall  wear  my  crown 
before  these  knights."  Those  of  Netherland  heard 
full  fain  the  tale.  He  gave  his  son  the  erown,  the 
cognizance,1  and  lands,  so  that  he  then  was  master  of 
them  all.  When  that  men  went  to  law  and  Siegfried 
uttered  judgment,  that  was  done  in  such  a  wise  that 
men  feared  sore  fair  Kriemhild's  husband. 

In  these  high  honors  Siegfried  lived,  of  a  truth,  and 
judged  as  king,  till  the  tenth  year  was  come,  when  his 
fair  lady  bare  a  son.  This  was  come  to  pass  after  the 
wish  of  the  kinsmen  of  the  king.  They  hastened  to 
baptize  and  name  him  Gunther  for  his  uncle ;  nor  had 
he  need  to  be  ashamed  of  this.  Should  he  grow  like  to 
his  kinsmen,  he  would  fare  full  well.  They  brought 
him  up  with  care,  as  was  but  due.  In  these  same 
times  the  Lady  Siegelind  died,  and  men  enow  made 
wail  when  death  bereft  them  of  her.  Then  the  child 
of  the  noble  Uta  held  withal  the  power  over  the  lands, 
which  well  beseemed  such  high-born  dames.2 

Now  also  by  the  Rhine,  as  we  hear  tell,  at  mighty 
Gunther's  court,  in  the  Burgundian  land,  Brunhild, 
the  fair,  had  born  a  son.  For  the  hero's  sake  they 
named  him  Siegfried.  With  what  great  care  they  bade 
attend  him  !  The  noble  Gunther  gave  him  masters  who 
well  wot  how  to  bring  him  up  to  be  a  doughty  man. 
Alas,  what  great  loss  of  kin  he  later  suffered  through 
misfortune  ! 

Many  tales  were  told  all  time,  of  how  right  worship- 
fully  the  lusty  knights  dwelt  alway  in  Siegmund's  land. 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   JOURNEYED   HOMEWARD    97 

Gunther  dealt  the  same  with  his  distinguished  kin. 
The  Nibelung  land  and  Schilling's  knights  and  the 
goods  of  both  served  Siegfried  here  (none  of  his  kins- 
men ever  waxed  mightier  than  he).  So  much  the 
higher  rose  the  mood  of  the  valiant  man.  The  very 
greatest  hoard  that  any  hero  ever  gained,  save  those  who 
owned  it  aforetime,  the  bold  man  had,  the  which  he  had 
won  by  his  own  hand  hard  by  a  hill,  and  for  which  he 
did  many  a  lusty  knight  to  death.  He  had  honors  to 
his  heart's  desire,  and  had  this  not  been  so,  yet  one 
must  rightly  aver  of  the  noble  champion,  that  he  was 
one  of  the  best  that  ever  mounted  horse.  Men  feared 
his  might  and  justly,  too. 


ADVENTURE   XII 

HOW    GUNTHER    BADE    SIEGFRIED    TO    THE    FEASTING 

Now  Gunther's  wife  thought  alway :  "  How  haughtily 
doth  Lady  Kriemhild  bear  her !  Is  not  her  husband 
Siegfried  our  liegeman  ?  Long  time  now  hath  he  done 
us  little  service."  This  she  bare  within  her  heart,  but 
held  her  peace.  It  irked  her  sore  that  they  did  make 
themselves  such  strangers  and  that  men  from  Sieg- 
fried's land  so  seldom  served  her.  Fain  would  she  have 
known  from  whence  this  came.  She  asked  the  king  if 
it  might  hap  that  she  should  see  Kriemhild  again. 
Secretly  she  spake  what  she  had  in  mind.  The  speech 
liked  the  king  but  moderately  well.  "  How  might  we 
bring  them,"  quoth  lie,  "  hither  to  our  land  ?  That 
were  impossible,  they  live  too  far  away ;  I  dare  not 
ask  them  this." 

To  this  Brunhild  replied  in  full  crafty  wise  :  "  How- 
ever high  and  mighty  a  king's  vassal  be,  yet  should 
he  not  leave  undone  whatsoever  his  lord  command 
him." 

King  Gunther  smiled  when  she  spake  thus.  How- 
ever oft  he  saw  Siegfried,  yet  did  he  not  count  it  to 
him  as  service. 

She  spake :  "  Dear  lord,  for  my  sake  help  me  to  have 
Siegfried  and  thy  sister  come  to  this  land,  that  we  may 
see  them  here.  Naught  liefer  might  ever  hap  to  me 
in  truth.  Whenso  I  think  on  thy  sister's  courtesie  and 
her  well-bred  mind,  how  it  delighteth  me  !   How  we  sate 


GUNTHER  BIDS  SIEGFRIED  TO  THE  FEASTING     99 

together,  when  I  first  became  thy  wife !  She  may  with 
honor  love  bold  Siegfried." 

She  besought  so  long,  till  the  king  did  speak  :  "  Now 
know  that  I  have  never  seen  more  welcome  guests.  Ye 
need  but  beg  me  gently.  I  will  send  my  envoys  for 
the  twain,  that  they  may  come  to  see  us  to  the  Rhine." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  Pray  tell  me  then,  when 
ye  are  willed  to  send  for  them,  or  in  what  time  our 
dear  kinsmen  shall  come  into  the  land.  Give  me  also 
to  know  whom  ye  will  send  thither." 

"That  will  I,"  said  the  prince.  "  I  will  let  thirty  of 
my  men  ride  thither." 

He  had  these  come  before  him  and  bade  them  carry 
tidings  to  Siegfried's  land.  To  their  delight  Brunhild 
did  give  them  full  lordly  vesture. 

Then  spake  the  king :  "  Ye  knights  must  say  from 
me  all  that  I  bid  you  to  mighty  Siegfried  and  the 
sister  of  mine  ;  this  must  ye  not  conceal :  that  no  one 
in  the  world  doth  love  them  more,  and  beg  them  both 
to  come  to  us  to  the  Rhine.  For  this  I  and  my  lady 
will  be  ever  at  your  service.  At  the  next  Midsummer's 
Day  shall  he  and  his  men  gaze  upon  many  here,  who 
would  fain  do  them  great  honor.  Give  to  the  king 
Siegmund  my  greetings,  and  say  that  I  and  my  kinsmen 
be  still  his  friends,  and  tell  my  sister,  too,  that  she  fail 
not  to  ride  to  see  her  kin.  Never  did  feasting  beseem 
her  better." 

Brunhild  and  Uta  and  whatever  ladies  were  found 
at  court  all  commended  their  service  to  the  lovely  dames 
and  the  many  valiant  men  in  Siegfried's  land.  With 
the  consent  of  the  kinsmen  of  the  king  the  messengers 
set   forth.    They    rode  as  wandering    knights ;    their 


100  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

horses  and  their  trappings  had  now  been  brought  them. 
Then  they  voided  the  land,  for  they  had  haste  of  the 
journey,  whither  they  would  fare.  The  king  bade  guard 
the  messengers  well  with  convoys.  In  three  weeks  they 
came  riding  into  the  land,  to  Nibelung's  castle,  in  the 
marches  of  Norway,1  whither  they  were  sent.  Here 
they  found  the  knight.  The  mounts  of  the  messengers 
were  weary  from  the  lengthy  way. 

Both  Siegfried  and  Kriemhild  were  then  told  that 
knio'hts  were  come,  who  wore  such  clothes  as  men  were 
wont  to  wear  at  Burgundy.  She  sprang  from  a  couch 
on  which  she  lay  to  rest  and  bade  a  maiden  hie  her  to 
the  window.  In  the  court  she  saw  bold  Gere  standing, 
him  and  the  fellowship  that  had  been  sent  thither. 
What  joyful  tidings  she  there  found  against  her  sor- 
row of  heart !  She  spake  to  the  king :  "  Now  behold 
where  they  stand,  who  walk  in  the  court  with  the  sturdy 
Gere,  whom  my  brother  sendeth  us  adown  the  Rhine." 

Spake  then  the  valiant  Siegfried :  "  They  be  wel- 
come to  us." 

All  the  courtiers  ran  to  where  one  saw  them.  Each 
of  them  in  turn  then  spake  full  kindly,  as  best  he 
could  to  the  envoys.  Siegmund,  the  lord,  was  right 
blithe  of  their  coming.  Then  Gere  and  his  men  were 
lodged  and  men  bade  take  their  steeds  in  charge.  The 
messengers  then  went  hence  to  where  Lord  Siegfried 
sate  by  Kriemhild.  This  they  did,  for  they  had  leave 
to  go  to  court.  The  host  and  his  lady  rose  from  their 
seats  at  once  and  greeted  well  Gere  of  the  Bur- 
gundian  land  with  his  fellowship,  Gunther's  liegemen. 
One  bade  the  mighty  Gere  go  and  sit  him  down. 

"  Permit  us  first  to  give  our  message,  afore  we  take 


GUNTHER  BIDS  SIEGFRIED  TO  THE  FEASTING  101 

our  seats  ;  let  us  way-worn  strangers  stand  the  while. 
We  be  come  to  tell  you  tidings  which  Gunther  and 
Brunhild,  with  whom  all  things  stand  well,  have  sent 
you,  and  also  what  Lady  Uta,  your  mother,  sendeth. 
Giselher,  the  youth,  and  Sir  Gemot,  too,  and  your 
dearest  kin,  they  have  sent  us  hither  and  commend 
their  service  to  vou  from  out  the  Bursmndian  land." 

"  Now  God  requite  them,"  quoth  Siegfried  ;  "  I  trow 
them  much  troth  and  good,  as  one  should  to  kinsfolk  ; 
their  sister  doth  the  same.  Ye  must  tell  us  more, 
whether  our  dear  friends  at  home  be  of  good  cheer  ? 
Since  we  have  been  parted  from  them,  hath  any  done 
amiss  to  my  lady's  kinsmen?  That  ye  must  let  me 
know.  If  so,  I  '11  ever  help  them  bear  it  in  duty  bound, 
until  their  foes  must  rue  my  service." 

Then  spake  the  Margrave  Gere,  a  right  good  knight : 
"  They  are  in  every  virtue  of  such  right  high  mood, 
that  they  do  bid  you  to  a  feasting  by  the  Rhine.  They 
would  fain  see  you,  as  ye  may  not  doubt,  and  they  do 
beg  my  lady  that  she  come  with  you,  when  the  winter 
hath  taken  an  end.  They  would  see  you  before  the 
next  Midsummer's  Day." 

Quoth  the  stalwart  Siegfried :  "  That  might  hardly 
hap." 

Then  answered  Gere  from  the  Burgundian  land  : 
"  Your  mother  Uta,  Gemot,  and  Giselher  have  charged 
you,  that  ye  refuse  them  not.  I  hear  daily  wail,  that  ye 
do  live  so  far  away.  My  Lady  Brunhild  and  all  her 
maids  be  fain  of  the  tidings,  if  that  might  be  that  they 
should  see  you  again  ;  this  would  raise  their  spirits 
high."  These  tidings  thought  fair  Kriemhild  good. 

Gere  was  of  their  kin  ;  the  host  bade  him  be  seated 


102  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

and  had  wine  poured  out  for  the  guests  ;  no  longer  did 
they  tarry.  Now  Siegmund  was  come  to  where  he  saw 
the  messengers.  The  lord  said  to  the  Burgundians  in 
friendly  wise  :  "  Be  welcome,  Sir  Knights,  ye  men  of 
Gunther.  Sith  now  Siegfried,  my  son,  hath  won  Kriem- 
hild  to  wife,  one  should  see  you  more  often  here  in  this 
our  land,  if  ye  would  show  your  kinship." 

They  answered  that  they  would  gladly  come,  when 
so  he  would.  Of  their  weariness  they  were  eased  with 
joyous  pastime.  Men  bade  the  messengers  be  seated 
and  brought  them  food,  of  which  Siegfried  had  them 
given  great  store.  They  must  needs  stay  there  full 
nine,  days,  till  at  last  the  doughty  knights  made  plaint, 
that  they  durst  not  ride  again  to  their  land. 

Meantime  King  Siegfried  had  sent  to  fetch  his 
friends  ;  he  asked  them  what  they  counseled,  whether 
or  no  they  should  to  the  Rhine.  "  My  kinsman 
Gunther  and  his  kin  have  sent  to  fetch  me  for  a  feast- 
ing. Now  I  would  go  full  gladly,  but  that  his  land 
doth  lie  too  far  away.  They  beg  Kriemhild,  too,  that 
she  journey  with  me.  Now  advise,  dear  friends,  in 
what  manner  she  shall  ride  thither.  Though  I  must 
harry  for  them  through  thirty  lands,  yet  would  Sieg- 
fried's arm  fain  serve  them  there." 

Then  spake  his  warriors :  "  And  ye  be  minded  to 
journey  to  the  feasting,  we  will  advise  what  ye  must 
do.  Ye  should  ride  to  the  Rhine  with  a  thousand 
knights,  then  can  ye  stand  with  worship  there  in 
Burgundy  land." 

Up  spake  then  Lord  Siegmund  of  Netherland : 
"  Will  ye  to  the  feasting,  why  make  ye  it  not  known  to 
me?  If  ye  scorn  it  not,  I  will  ride  thither  with  you 


GUNTHER  BIDS  SIEGFRIED  TO  THE  FEASTING  103 

and  will  take  a  hundred  knights,  wherewith  to  swell 
your  band." 

"  And  will  ye  ride  with  us,  dear  father  mine,"  quoth 
brave  Siegfried,  "  glad  shall  I  be  of  that.  Within  a 
twelfth  night  I  will  quit  my  lands." 

All  who  craved  it  were  given  steeds  and  vesture,  too. 

Since  now  the  noble  king  was  minded  for  the  jour- 
ney, men  bade  the  good  and  speedy  envoys  ride  again. 
He  sent  word  to  his  wife's  kindred  on  the  Rhine,  that 
he  would  full  fain  be  at  their  feasting.  Siegfried  and 
Kriemhild,  as  the  tale  doth  tell,  gave  the  messengers 
such  store  of  gifts  that  their  horses  could  not  bear 
them  to  their  native  land.  A  wealthy  man  was  he. 
They  drove  their  sturdy  sumpters  merrily  along. 

Siegfried  and  Siegmund  arrayed  their  men.  Ecke- 
wart,  the  margrave,  that  very  hour  bade  seek  out  ladies' 
robes,  the  best  that  were  at  hand  or  might  be  found 
throughout  all  Siegfried's  land.  Men  gan  prepare  the 
saddles  and  the  shields.  To  knights  and  ladies  who 
should  go  hence  with  him  was  given  whatso  they 
would,  so  that  they  wanted  naught.  He  brought  to  his 
kinsfolk  many  a  lordly  stranger. 

The  messengers  pricked  fast  upon  their  homeward 
way.  Now  was  Gere,  the  knight,  come  to  Burgundy 
and  was  greeted  fair.  Then  they  dismounted  from  their 
steeds  and  from  the  nags  in  front  of  Gunther's  hall. 
Young  and  old  did  hie  them,  as  people  do,  to  ask  the 
tidings.  Quoth  the  good  knight :  "  When  I  tell  them 
to  the  kin";,  then  be  at  hand  to  hear." 

With  his  fellowship  he  went  to  where  he  found  King 
Gunther.  For  very  joy  the  king  sprang  from  his  seat. 
Fair  Brunhild  cried  them  mercy,  that  they  were  come 


104  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

so  quick.  Gunther  spake  to  the  envoys :  "  How  fareth 
Siegfried,  from  whom  so  much  of  gladness  hath  happed 
to  me?" 

Brave  Gere  spake :  "  He  blushed  for  joy,  he  and 
your  sister  ;  no  truer  tidings  did  ever  any  man  send  to 
friends,  than  the  Lord  Siegfried  and  his  father,  too, 
have  sent  to  you." 

Then  to  the  margrave  spake  the  noble  queen :  "  Now 
tell  me,  cometh  Kriemhild  to  us?  Hath  the  fair  still 
kept  the  graces  which  she  knew  how  to  use  ?  " 

"  She  cometh  to  you  surely,"  quoth  Gere,  the 
knight. 

Then  Uta  bade  the  messenger  come  quickly  to 
her.  By  her  question  one  might  note  full  well  that 
she  was  fain  to  hear  if  Kriemhild  still  were  well.  He 
told  how  he  had  found  her  and  that  she  would 
shortly  come.  Nor  were  the  gifts  concealed  by  them 
at  court,  which  Siegfried  gave  them,  gold  and  vesture ; 
these  they  brought  for  the  vassals  of  the  three  kings 
to  see.  For  their  passing  great  bounty  men  gave  them 
thanks. 

"  He  may  lightly  give  great  gifts,"  spake  then 
Hagen  ;  "  he  could  not  squander  all  his  wealth,  and  he 
should  live  for  aye.  His  hand  hath  closed  upon  the 
hoard  of  the  Nibelungs.  Ho,  let  him  only  come  to  the 
Burgundian  land !  " 

All  the  courtiers  were  glad  that  they  should  come. 
Early  and  late  the  men  of  the  three  kings  were  busy. 
Many  benches  they  gan  raise  for  the  folk.  The  valiant 
Hunolt  and  the  knight  Sindolt  had  little  rest.  All 
time  they  had  to  oversee  the  stewards  and  the  butlers 
and  raise  many  a  bench.  Ortwin  helped  them,  too,  at 


GUNTHER  BIDS  SIEGFRIED  TO  THE  FEASTING  105 

this,  and  Gunther  said  them  thanks.  Rumolt,  the 
master  cook,  how  well  he  ruled  his  underlings !  Ho, 
how  many  a  broad  kettle,  pot,  and  pan  they  had ! 
They  made  ready  the  vitaille  for  those  who  were  com- 
ing to  the  land. 


ADVENTURE   XIII 

HOW    THEY    JOURNEYED    TO    THE    FEASTING 

Let  us  now  take  leave  of  all  their  bustling,  and  tell 
how  Lady  Kriemhild  and  her  maidens  journeyed  from 
the  Nibelung  land  down  toward  the  Rhine.  Never  did 
sumpters  bear  so  much  lordly  raiment.  They  made 
ready  for  the  way  full  many  traveling  chests.  Then 
Siegfried,  the  knight,  and  the  queen  as  well,  rode  forth 
with  their  friends  to  where  they  had  hope  of  joys. 
Later  it  sped  them  all  to  their  great  harm.  They  left 
Siegfried's  little  child,  Kriembild's  son,  at  home.  That 
must  needs  be.  Great  grief  befell  him  through  their 
journey  to  the  court.  The  bairn  never  saw  his  father 
and  his  mother  more.  With  them,  too,  there  rode  Lord 
Siegmund.  Had  he  known  aright  how  he  would  fare 
at  the  feasting,  no  whit  of  it  would  he  have  seen.  No 
greater  woe  might  ever  hap  to  him  in  loving  friends. 

Messengers  were  sent  ahead,  who  told  the  tale.  Then 
with  a  stately  band  there  rode  to  meet  them  many  of 
Uta's  kith  and  Gunther's  liegemen.  The  host  gan  be- 
stir him  for  his  guests.  He  went  to  where  Brunhild 
sate  and  asked :  "  How  did  my  sister  greet  you  when 
ye  came  to  our  land  ?  In  like  manner  must  ye  greet 
Siegfried's  wife." 

"  That  will  I  gladly,"  quoth  she,  "  for  I  have  good 
cause  to  be  her  friend." 

The  mighty  king  spake  further  :  "  They  come  to  us 
early  on  the  morrow  ;    if  ye  would  greet    them,  set 


HOW  THEY  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  FEASTING    107 

quickly  to  work,  that  we  abide  them  not  within  the 
castle.  At  no  time  have  such  welcome  guests  ever 
come  to  see  me." 

At  once  she  bade  her  maids  and  ladies  hunt  out 
goodly  raiment,  the  best  they  had,  the  which  her  train 
should  wear  before  the  guests.  One  may  lightly  say, 
they  did  this  gladly.  Gunther's  men  hasted  also  for  to 
serve  them,  and  around  him  the  host  did  gather  all  his 
knights.  Then  the  queen  rode  forth  in  princely  wise 
and  mickle  greeting  of  the  welcome  guests  was  done. 
With  what  great  joy  did  they  receive  them  !  It  thought 
them  as  though  Lady  Kriemhild  had  not  greeted  Lady 
Brunhild  so  fair  in  the  Burgundian  land.  Those  who 
had  never  seen  her  became  acquaint  with  lofty  mood. 

Now  was  Siegfried  come  with  his  liegemen.  One 
saw  the  heroes  wending  to  and  fro  upon  the  plain  in 
unwieldy  bands.  None  might  guard  him  there  against 
the  jostling  and  the  dust. 

When  that  the  ruler  of  the  land  spied  Siegfried  and 
Siegmund,  how  lovingly  he  spake :  "  Now  be  ye  full 
welcome  to  me  and  all  my  friends  ;  we  shall  be  of  good 
cheer  because  of  this  your  journey  to  our  court." 

"  Now  God  requite  you,"  quoth  Siegmund,  the 
honor-seeking  man  ;  "  sith  my  son  Siegfried  won  you 
to  kinsman,  my  heart  hath  urged  that  I  should  go  to 
see  you." 

At  this  spake  Gunther :  "Now  hath  joy  happed  to 
me  thereby." 

Siegfried  was  received  with  much  great  worship  as 
beseemed  him ;  none  bare  him  hatred  there.  Giselher 
and  Gemot  helped  thereby  with  great  courtesie.  I  ween, 
never  have  guests  been  greeted  in  such  goodly  wise. 


108  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  the  wives  of  the  two  kings  drew  near  each 
other.  Emptied  were  many  saddles,  as  fair  ladies  were 
lifted  down  by  knightly  hands  upon  the  sward.  How 
busy  were  those  who  gladly  served  the  dames !  The 
lovely  women  now  drew  near  each  other,  and  many  a 
knight  was  blithe,  that,  such  fair  greeting  passed  be- 
tween the  twain.  Then  one  saw  great  press  of  warriors 
standing  by  the  high-born  maids.  The  lordly  meiny  ' 
grasped  each  other  by  the  hand.  Much  courteous  bow- 
ing was  seen  and  loving  kisses  from  fair-fashioned 
dames.  This  liked  well  Gunther's  and  Siegfried's  liege- 
men for  to  see.  They  bided  now  no  longer,  but  rode 
to  town.  The  host  bade  show  his  guests  full  well  that 
all  were  fain  to  see  them  in  the  Burgundian  land. 
Many  a  royal  joust  took  place  before  the  high-born 
maids.  Hagen  of  Troneg  and  Ortwin,  too,  proved  full 
well  their  prowess.  One  durst  not  leave  undone  what- 
so  they  would  command.  Much  service  was  rendered 
by  them  to  the  welcome  guests.  Many  shields  were 
heard  resound  from  thrusts  and  blows  before  the  castle 
gate.  The  host  and  his  guests  tarried  long  time  with- 
out, or  ever  they  came  within.  Forsooth  the  hours 
passed  quickly  for  them  with  their  sports.  Merrily  they 
rode  before  the  royal  palace.  Many  cunning  housings 2 
of  good  cloth  and  well  cut  were  seen  hanging  on  either 
side  from  the  saddles  of  the  fair-fashioned  dames. 

Then  came  Gunther's  liegemen.  Men  bade  lead  the 
strangers  quickly  to  their  easement.  At  times  one  saw 
Brunhild  glance  at  Lady  Kriemhild,  who  was  passing 
fair  enow.  Her  color  against  the  gold  gave  back  the 
gleam  in  lovely  wise.  On  every  side  in  Worms  one 
heard  the  courtiers  shout.   Gunther  bade  Dankwart, 


HOW  THEY  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  FEASTING     109 

his  marshal,  have  them  in  his  care,  who  then  gan  lodge 
the  retinue  in  goodly  wise.  One  let  them  eat  within 
and  eke  without.  Never  were  stranger  guests  better 
cared  for.  Men  gave  them  gladly  all  they  craved ;  so 
rich  was  the  king,  that  not  a  wish  was  there  denied. 
Men  served  them  in  friendly  wise  without  all  hate. 
The  host  now  took  his  seat  at  table  with  his  guests. 
One  bade  Siegfried  be  seated  where  he  sate  afore. 
Then  many  a  stately  man  went  with  him  to  the  seats. 
Twelve  hundred  warriors  in  sooth  did  sit  at  his  round 
table.  Brunhild  thought  her  that  a  vassal  could  not 
be  mightier  than  he ;  yet  she  was  still  so  friendly  to 
him  that  she  did  not  wish  his  death. 

On  an  evening  when  the  king  was  seated  at  the 
board,  many  costly  robes  were  wet  with  wine,  as  the 
butlers  hied  them  to  the  tables.  Full  service  was  given 
there  with  mickle  zeal.  As  hath  long  been  the  wont 
at  feasts,  men  bade  the  ladies  and  the  maids  be  given 
fair  lodgment.  From  wherever  they  were  come,  the 
host  bare  them  right  good  will.  One  gave  them  all 
enow  with  goodly  honors. 

When  the  night  had  an  end  and  the  day  appeared, 
many  a  precious  stone  from  the  sumpter  chests  sparkled 
on  goodly  weeds,  as  they  were  touched  by  woman's 
hand.  Many  a  lordly  robe  was  taken  forth.  Or  ever 
the  day  had  fully  dawned,  many  knights  and  squires 
came  out  before  the  hall.  Then  rose  a  merry  rout  be- 
fore the  early  mass,  which  was  sung  for  the  king.  There 
young  heroes  rode  so  well  that  the  king  did  cry  them 
mercy.  Many  a  trumpet  rang  out  passing  loud,  and 
the  noise  of  drums  and  flutes  did  grow  so  great  that 
the  broad  town  of  Worms  reechoed  with  the  sound. 


110  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

The  high-mettled  heroes  horsed  them  everywhere.  Then 
there  rose  in  the  land  high  knightly  play  from  many  a 
doughty  champion  ;  one  saw  a  great  rout  of  them  whose 
youthful  hearts  beat  high,  and  many  a  dapper  knight 
and  a  good  stood  armed  with  shield.  At  the  casements 
sate  the  high-born  dames  and  many  comely  maids, 
decked  out  in  brave  attire.  They  watched  the  pastimes 
of  the  many  valiant  men.  The  host  himself  gan  tilt 
there  with  his  friends.  Thus  they  passed  the  time,  the 
which  seemed  aught  but  long. 

Then  from  the  dome  was  heard  the  sound  of  many 
bells.  The  palfreys  came,  the  ladies  rode  away ;  but 
many  a  bold  man  followed  the  noble  queens.  They 
alighted  on  the  green  before  the  minster;  Brunhild 
was  still  friendly  to  her  guests.  Wearing  crowns,  they 
entered  the  spacious  church.  Later  their  love  was 
parted,  which  caused  great  hate.  When  they  had 
heard  the  mass,  they  rode  away  again  with  many  honors 
and  were  soon  seen  going  merrily  to  table.  Their  pleas- 
ure at  the  feasting  did  not  flag  until  the  eleventh  day^ 


ADVENTURE  XIV 

HOW  THE  QUEENS  REVILED  EACH  OTHER 

On  a  day  before  the  vesper  tide  a  great  turmoil  arose, 
which  many  knights  made  in  the  court,  where  they  plied 
their  knightly  sports  for  pastime's  sake,  and  a  great 
throng  of  men  and  women  hasted  there  to  gaze.  The 
royal  queens  had  sat  them  down  together  and  -talked 
of  two  worshipful  knights. 

Then  spake  the  fair  Kriemhild  :  "  I  have  a  husband 
who  by  right  should  ride  over  all  these  kingdoms." 

Quoth  Lady  Brunhild:  "How  might  that  be?  If 
none  other  lived  but  he  and  thou,  then  might  these 
kingdoms  own  his  sway,  but  the  while  Gunther  liveth, 
this  may  never  hap." 

Kriemhild  replied :  "  Now  dost  thou  see,  how  he 
standeth,  how  right  royally  he  walketh  before  the 
knights,  as  the  moon  doth  before  the  stars  ?  Therefore 
must  I  needs  be  merry  of  mood." 

Said  Lady  Brunhild :  "  However  stately  be  thy 
husband,  howso  worthy  and  fair,  yet  must  thou  grant 
the  palm  to  Knight  Gunther,  the  noble  brother  of 
thine.  Know  of  a  truth,  he  must  be  placed  above  all 
kings." 

Then  Kriemhild  spake  again :  "  So  doughty  is  my 
husband,  that  I  have  not  lauded  him  without  good 
cause.  His  worship  is  great  in  many  things.  Dost  thou 
believe  it,  Brunhild,  he  is  easily  Gunther's  peer." 

"  Forsooth  thou  must  not  take  it  amiss  of  me,  Kriem- 


112  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

hild,  for  I  have  not  spoken  thus  without  good  reason. 
I  heard  them  both  aver,  when  I  saw  them  first  of  all, 
and  the  king  was  victor  against  me  in  the  games,  and 
when  he  won  my  love  in  such  knightly  wise,  that  he 
was  liegeman  to  the  king,  and  Siegfried  himself  de- 
clared the  same.  I  hold  him  therefore  as  my  vassal, 
sith  I  heard  him  speak  thus  himself." 

Then  spake  fair  Kriemhild :  "  111  had  I  then  sped. 
How  could  my  noble  brothers  have  so  wrought,  that  I 
should  be  a  mere  vassal's  bride?  Therefore  I  do  be- 
seech thee,  Brunhild,  in  friendly  wise,  that  for  my 
sake  thou  kindly  leave  off  this  speech." 

"  I  '11  not  leave  it  off,"  quoth  the  king's  wife.  "  Why 
should  I  give  up  so  many  a  knight,  who  with  the  war- 
rior doth  owe  us  service  ?  " 

Kriemhild,  the  passing  fair,  waxed  wroth  out  of  wit. 
"  Thou  must  forego  that  he  ever  do  you  a  vassal's  serv- 
ice ;  he  is  worthier  than  my  brother  Gunther,  the  full 
noble  man.  Thou  must  retract  what  I  have  heard  thee 
say.  Certes,  it  wondereth  me,  sith  he  be  thy  vassal  and 
thou  hast  so  much  power  over  us  twain,  why  he  hath 
rendered  thee  no  tribute  so  long  a  time.  By  right  I 
should  be  spared  thy  overweening  pride." 

"Thou  bearest  thee  too  high,"  spake  the  king's  wife. 
"  I  would  fain  see  whether  men  will  hold  thee  in  such 
high  honor  as  they  do  me." 

The  ladies  both  grew  wonderly  wroth  of  mood.  Then 
spake  the  Lady  Kriemhild  :  "  This  must  now  hap.  Sith 
thou  hast  declared  my  husband  for  thy  liegeman,  now 
must  the  men  of  the  two  kings  perceive  to-day  whether 
I  durst  walk  before  the  queen  to  church.  Thou  must 
see  to-day  that  I  am  noble  and  free  and  that  my  hus- 


HOW  THE  QUEENS  REVILED  EACH  OTHER  113 

band  is  worthier  than  thine  ;  nor  will  I  myself  be  taxed 
therewith.  Thou  shalt  mark  to-day  how  thy  liegewoman 
goeth  to  court  before  the  knights  of  the  Burgundian 
land.  I  myself  shall  be  more  worshipful  than  any 
queen  was  known  to  be,  who  ever  wore  a  crown."  Great 
hate  enow  rose  then  betwixt  the  ladies. 

Then  Brunhild  answered  :  "  Wilt  thou  not  be  a 
liegewoman  of  mine,  so  must  thou  sunder  thee  with 
thy  ladies  from  my  train  when  that  we  go  to  church." 

To  this  Kriemhild  replied :  "  In  faith  that  shall  be 
done." 

"  Now  array  you,  my  maids,"  spake  Siegfried's  wife. 
"  I  must  be  here  without  reproach.  Let  this  be  seen 
to-day,  and  ye  do  have  rich  weeds.  Brunhild  shall  fain 
deny  what  she  hath  here  averred." 

They  needed  not  much  bidding,  but  sought  rich 
robes  and  many  a  dame  and  maid  attired  her  well. 
Then  the  wife  of  the  noble  king  went  forth  with  her 
train.  Fair  Kriemhild,  too,  was  well  arrayed  and  three 
and  forty  maidens  with  her,  whom  she  had-  brought 
hither  to  the  Rhine.  They  wore  bright  vesture  wrought 
in  Araby,  and  thus  the  fair-fashioned  maids  betook 
them  to  the  minster.  All  Siegfried's  men  awaited  them 
before  the  house.  The  folk  had  marvel  whence  it 
chanced  that  the  queens  were  seen  thus  sundered,  so 
that  they  did  not  walk  together  as  afore.  From  this 
did  many  a  warrior  later  suffer  dire  distress.  Here 
before  the  minster  stood  Gunther's  wife,  while  many 
a  good  knight  had  pastime  with  the  comely  dames 
whom  they  there  espied. 

Then  came  the  Lady  Kriemhild  with  a  large  and 
noble  train.    Whatever  kind  of  clothes  the  daughters  of 


114  THE   N1BELUNGENLIED 

noble  knights  have  ever  worn,  these  were  but  the  wind 
against  her  retinue.  She  was  so  rich  in  goods,  that 
what  the  wives  of  thirty  kings  could  not  purvey,  that 
Kriemhild  did.  An'  one  would  wish  to,  yet  he  could 
not  aver  that  men  had  ever  seen  such  costly  dresses  as 
at  this  time  her  fair-fashioned  maidens  wore.  Kriem- 
hild had  not  done  it,  save  to  anger  Brunhild.  They 
met  before  the  spacious  minster.  Through  her  great 
hate  the  mistress  of  the  house  in  evil  wise  bade  Kriem- 
hild stand  :  "  Forsooth  no  vassaless  should  ever  walk 
before  the  queen." 

Then  spake  fair  Kriemhild  (angry  was  her  mood)  : 
"  Couldst  thou  have  held  thy  peace,  't  were  well  for 
thee.  Thou  hast  disgraced  thee  and  the  fair  body  of 
thine.  How  might  a  vassal's  leman  *  ever  be  the  wife 
of  any  king  ?  " 

"  Whom  callest  thou  here  leman  ?  "  spake  the  queen. 

"That  call  I  thee,"  quoth  Kriemhild.  "Thy  fair 
person  was  first  caressed  by  Siegfried,  my  dear  hus- 
band. Certes,  it  was  not  my  brother  who  won  thy  maid- 
hood.  Whither  could  thy  wits  have  wandered  ?  It  was 
an  evil  trick.  Wherefore  didst  thou  let  him  love  thee, 
sith  he  be  thy  vassal  ?  I  hear  thee  make  jolaint  with- 
out good  cause,"  quoth  Kriemhild. 

"  I'  faith,"  spake  then  Brunhild,  "  Gunther  shall 
hear  of  this." 

"  What  is  that  to  me?"  said  Kriemhild.  "  Thy  pride 
hath  bewrayed  thee.  With  words  thou  hast  claimed 
me  for  thy  service.  Know,  by  my  troth,  it  will  ever 
grieve  me,  for  I  shall  be  no  more  thy  faithful 
friend." 

Then  Brunhild  wept.  Kriemhild  delayed  no  longer, 


HOW  THE   QUEENS   REVILED   EACH   OTHER    115  ' 

but  entered  the  minster  with  her  train  before  the 
queen.  Thus  there  rose  great  hatred,  from  which 
bright  eyes  grew  dim  and  moist. 

Whatso  men  did  or  sang  to  God's  service  there,  the 
time  seemed  far  too  long  for  Brunhild,  for  she  was 
sad  of  heart  and  mood.  Many  a  brave  knight  and  a 
good  must  later  rue  this  day.  Brunhild  with  her  ladies 
now  went  forth  and  stopped  before  the  minster.  Her- 
thought :  "  Kriemhild  must  tell  me  more  of  what  this 
word-shrewd  woman  hath  so  loudly  charged  me.  Hath 
Siegfried  made  boast  of  this,  'twill  cost  his  life." 

Now  the  noble  Kriemhild  came  with  many  a  valiant 
liegeman.  Lady  Brunhild  spake :  "  Stand  still  a  while. 
Ye  have  declared  me  for  a  leman  ;  that  must  ye  let  be 
seen.  Know,  that  through  thy  speech,  I  have  fared  full 
ill." 

Then  spake  the  Lady  Kriemhild  :  "  Ye  should  have 
let  me  pass.  I  '11  prove  it  by  the  ring  of  gold  I  have 
upon  my  hand,  and  which  my  lover  brought  me  when 
he  first  lay  at  your  side." 

Brunhild  had  never  seen  so  ill  a  da}r.  She  spake  : 
"  This  costly  hoop  of  gold  was  stolen  from  me,  and 
hath  been  hid  full  long  a  time  from  me  in  evil  wise. 
I  '11  find  out  yet  who  hath  ta'en  it  from  me." 

Both  ladies  now  had  fallen  into  grievous  wrath. 

Kriemhild  replied  :  "  I  '11  not  be  called  a  thief. 
Thou  hadst  done  better  to  have  held  thy  peace,  an' 
thou  hold  thine  honor  dear.  I  '11  prove  it  by  the  girdle 
which  I  wear  about  my  waist,  that  I  lie  not.  Certes, 
my  Siegfried  became  thy  lord." 

She  wore  the  cord  of  silk  of  Nineveh,  set  with  pre- 
cious stones ;  in  sooth  't  was  fair  enow.  When  Brun- 


116  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

hild  spied  it,  she  began  to  weep.   Gunther  and  all  the 
Burgundian  men  must  needs  now  learn  of  this. 

Then  spake  the  queen :  "  Bid  the  prince  of  the 
Rhineland  come  hither.  I  will  let  him  hear  how  his 
sister  hath  mocked  me.  She  saith  here  openly  that  I 
be  Siegfried's  wife." 

The  king  came  with  knights,  and  when  he  saw  his 
love  a-weeping,  how  gently  he  spake  :  "  Pray  tell  me, 
dear  lady,  who  hath  done  you  aught  ?  " 

She  answered  to  the  king :  "  I  must  stand  unhappy ; 
thy  sister  would  fain  part  me  from  all  mine  honors.  I 
make  here  plaint  to  thee,  she  doth  aver  that  Siegfried, 
her  husband,  hath  had  me  as  his  leman." 

Quoth  King  Gunther:  "Then  hath  she  done  ill." 

"  She  weareth  here  my  girdle,  which  I  have  lost,  and 
my  ring  of  ruddy  gold.  It  doth  repent  me  sore  that  I 
was  ever  born,  unless  be  thou  clearest  me  of  this  pass- 
ing great  shame  ;  for  that  1 :11  serve  thee  ever." 

King  Gunther  spake :  "  Have  him  come  hither.  He 
must  let  us  hear  if  he  hath  made  boast  of  this,  or  he 
must  make  denial,  the  hero  of  Netherland."  One  bade 
fetch  at  once  Kriemhild's  love. 

When  Siegfried  saw  the  angry  dames  (he  wist  not 
of  the  tale),  how  quickly  then  he  spake  :  "  I  fain 
would  know  why  these  ladies  weejj,  or  for  what  cause 
the  king  hath  had  me  fetched." 

Then  King  Gunther  spake :  "  It  doth  rue  me  sore, 
forsooth.  My  Lady  Brunhild  hath  told  me  here  a  tale, 
that  thou  hast  boasted  thou  wast  the  first  to  clasp  her 
lovely  body  in  thine  arms ;  this  Lady  Kriemhild,  thy 
wife,  doth  say." 

Then  spake  Lord  Siegfried :  "  And  she  hath  told 


HOW  THE  QUEENS  REVILED  EACH  OTHER  117 

this  tale,  she  shall  rue  it  sore,  or  ever  I  turn  back, 
and  I  '11  clear  ine  with  solemn  oaths  in  front  of  all  thy 
men,  that  I  have  not  told  her  this." 

Quoth  the  king-  of  the  Rhineland  :  "  Let  that  be 
seen.  The  oath  thou  dost  offer,  and  let  it  now  be  given, 
shall  free  thee  of  all  false  charges." 

They  bade  the  proud  Burgundians  form  a  ring. 
Siegfried,  the  bold,  stretched  out  his  hand  for  the  oath; 
then  spake  the  mighty  king  :  "  Thy  great  innocence  is 
so  well  known  to  me,  that  I  will  free  thee  of  that  of 
which  my  sister  doth  accuse  thee  and  say,  thou  hast 
never  done  this  thing." 

Siegfried  replied  :  "  If  it  boot  my  lady  aught  to 
have  thus  saddened  Brunhild,  that  will  surely  cause 
me  boundless  grief." 

Then  the  lusty  knights  and  good  gazed  one  upon 
the  other.  "  One  should  so  train  women,"  spake  again 
Siegfried,  the  knight,  "  that  they  leave  haughty  words 
unsaid.  Forbid  it  to  thy  wife,  and  I  '11  do  the  same  to 
mine.  In  truth,  I  do  shame  me  of  her  great  discour- 
tesie." 

Many  fair  ladies  were  parted  by  the  speech.  Brun- 
hild mourned  so  sore,  that  it  moved  King  Gunther's 
men  to  pity.  Then  came  Ilagen  of  Troneg  to  his  sov- 
ran lady.  He  found  her  weeping,  and  asked  what 
grief  she  had.  She  told  him  then  the  tale.  On  the 
spot  he  vowed  that  KriemhikTs  lord  should  rue  it  sore, 
or  he  would  nevermore  be  glad.  Ortwin  and  Gemot 
joined  their  parley  and  these  heroes  counseled  Sieg- 
fried's death.  Giselher,  the  son  of  the  noble  Uta,  came 
hither  too.  When  he  heard  the  talk,  he  spake  full 
true :    "  Ye   trusty    knights,   wherefore    do    ye    this  ? 


118  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

Siegfried  hath  not  merited  forsooth  such  hate,  that  he 
should  therefore  lose  his  life.  Certes,  women  oft  grow 
angry  over  little  things." 

"  Shall  we  then  raise  cuckolds  ?  "  answered  Hagen  ; 
"  such  good  knights  would  gain  from  that  but  little 
honor.  Because  he  hath  boasted  of  my  liege  lady,  I 
will  rather  die,  an'  it  cost  him  not  his  life." 

Then  spake  the  king  himself  :  "  He  hath  shown  us 
naught  but  love  and  honor,  so  let  him  live.  What 
booteth  it,  if  I  now  should  hate  the  knight  ?  He  was 
ever  faithful  to  us  and  that  right  willingly." 

Knight  Ortwin  of  Metz  then  spake :  "  His  great 
prowess  shall  not  in  sooth  avail  him  aught.  If  my  lord 
permit,  I  '11  do  him  every  evil." 

So  without  cause  the  heroes  had  declared  a  feud 
against  him.  In  this  none  followed,  save  that  Hagen 
counseled  all  time  Knight  Gunther  that  if  Siegfried 
no  longer  lived,  then  many  kingly  lands  would  own 
his  sway.  At  this  the  king  grew  sad,  so  they  let  it 
rest. 

Jousting  was  seen  once  more.  Ho,  what  stout  shafts 
they  splintered  before  the  minster  in  the  presence  of 
Siegfried's  wife,  even  down  to  the  hall !  Enow  of 
Gunther's  men  were  now  in  wrath.  The  king  spake : 
"  Let  be  this  murderous  rage,  he  is  born  to  our  honor 
and  to  our  joy.  Then,  too,  the  wonderly  bold  man  is 
so  fierce  of  strength,  that  none  durst  match  him,  if  he 
marked  it." 

"  No,  not  he,"  spake  Hagen  then.  "  Ye  may  well 
keep  still ;  I  trow  to  bring  it  to  pass  in  secret,  that  he 
rue  Brunhild's  tears.  Certes,  Hagen  hath  broken  with 
him  for  all  time." 


HOW  THE  QUEENS  REVILED  EACH  OTHER  119 

Then  spake  King  Gunther:  "How  might  that 
chance  ?  " 

To  this  Hagen  made  answer :  "  I  '11  let  you  hear. 
We  '11  bid  messengers,  that  be  not  known  to  any  here, 
ride  into  our  land,  to  declare  war  upon  us  openly. 
Then  do  ye  say  before  your  guests  that  ye  and  your 
men  will  take  the  field.  When  that  is  done,  he  will 
vow  to  serve  you  then  and  from  this  he  shall  lose  his 
life,  an'  I  learn  the  tale  from  the  bold  knight's  wife." 

The  king  followed  his  liegeman  Hagen  in  evil  wise. 
These  chosen  knights  gan  plan  great  faithlessness,  or 
ever  any  one  was  ware.  From  two  women's  quarreling 
full  many  a  hero  lost  his  life. 


ADVENTURE  XV 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    WAS    BETRAYED 

Upon  the  fourth  morning  two  and  thirty  men  were 
seen  to  ride  to  court  and  the  tale  was  brought  to 
mighty  Gunther  that  war  had  been  declared.  The  very 
direst  woes  befell  fair  women  from  a  lie.  They  gained 
leave  to  come  before  the  king  and  say  that  they  were 
Liudeger's  men,  whom  Siegfried's  hand  had  con- 
quered afore  and  had  brought  as  hostages  to  Gunther 's 
land.  He  greeted  then  the  messengers  and  bade  them 
go  and  seat  them.  One  among  them  spake  :  "  My  lord, 
pray  let  us  stand  till  we  have  told  the  message  we 
do  bear  you.  This  know,  ye  have  of  a  truth  many 
a  mother's  son  as  foe.  Liudegast  and  Liudeger,  whom 
ye  one  time  gave  grievous  sores,  declare  a  feud  against 
you  and  are  minded  to  ride  with  an  army  to  this  land." 
The  king  waxed  wroth  when  he  heard  this  tale. 

Men  bade  lead  the  perjurers  to  their  lodgings.  How 
might  Siegfried,  or  any  else  against  whom  they  plotted, 
ware  himself  against  their  wiles  ?  This  later  brought 
great  sorrow  to  them  all.  The  king  walked  whispering 
with  his  friends ;  Hagen  of  Troneg  never  let  him  rest. 
Enow  of  the  king's  liegemen  would  fain  have  parted 
the  strife,  but  Hagen  would  not  give  up  his  plan.  On 
a  day  Siegfried  found  them  whispering.  The  hero  of 
Netherland  gan  ask  :  "  How  go  the  king  and  his  men 
so  sadly  ?  I  '11  help  avenge  it,  hath  any  done  you 
aught." 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   WAS  BETRAYED  121 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  I  am  rightly  sad. 
Liudegast  and  Liudeger  have  challenged  me  to  war  ; 
they  are  minded  to  ride  openly  into  my  land." 

At  this  the  bold  knight  said  :  "  Siegfried's  hand 
shall  hinder  that  with  zeal,  as  beseem eth  all  your 
honors.  1 11  do  yet  to  these  knights  as  I  did  before  ; 
I  '11  lay  waste  their  lands,  or  ever  I  turn  again.  Be 
my  head  your  pledge  of  this.  Ye  and  your  warriors 
shall  stay  at  home  and  let  me  ride  to  meet  them 
with  those  I  have.  I  '11  let  you  see  how  fain  I  serve 
you.  This  know,  through  me  it  shall  go  evil  with 
your  foes." 

"  Well  is  me  of  these  tidings,"  spake  then  the  king, 
as  though  he  were  clad  in  earnest  of  this  aid.  With 
guile  the  faithless  man  bowed  low. 

Quoth  Lord  Siegfried :  "  Ye  shall  have  small  care." 

Then  they  made  ready  for  the  journey  hence  with 
the  men-at-arms.  This  was  done  for  Siegfried  and  his 
men  to  see.  He,  too,  bade  those  of  Netherland  get 
them  ready.  Siegfried's  warriors  sought  out  warlike 
weeds.  Then  the  stalwart  Siegfried  spake  :  "  My  father 
Siegmund,  ye  must  stay  here.  We  shall  return  in  short 
space  hither  to  the  Rhine,  and  God  give  us  luck.  Ye 
must  here  make  merry  with  the  king." 

They  tied  fast  their  banners,  as  though  they  would 
away,  and  there  were  enow  of  Gunther' s  men  who  wist 
not  wherefore  this  was  done.  Great  rout  of  men  was 
seen  at  Siegfried's  side.  They  bound  their  helmets 
and  their  breastplates  upon  the  steeds,  and  many  a  stout 
knight  made  ready  to  quit  the  land.  Then  Hagen  of 
Troneir  went  to  find  Kriemhild  and  asked  for  leave, 
sith  they  would  void  the  land. 


122  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  Now  well  is  me,"  spake  Kriemhild,  "  that  I  have 
won  a  husband  who  dare  protect  so  well  my  loving 
kinsfolk,  as  my  Lord  Siegfried  doth  here.  Therefore," 
spake  the  queen,  "  will  I  be  glad  of  heart.  Dear  friend 
Hagen,  think  on  that,  that  I  do  serve  you  gladly  and 
never  yet  did  bear  you  hate.  Requite  this  now  to  me  in 
my  dear  husband.  Let  him  not  suffer,  if  I  have  done 
to  Brunhild  aught.  I  since  have  rued  it,"  spake  the 
noble  wife.  "  Moreover,  he  since  hath  beaten  me  black 
and  blue  ;  the  brave  hero  and  a  good  hath  well  avenged 
that  ever  I  spake  what  grieved  her  heart." 

"  Ye  '11  be  friends  once  more  after  some  days. 
Kriemhild,  dear  lady,  pray  tell  me  how  I  may  serve 
you  in  your  husband  Siegfried.  Liefer  will  I  do  this 
for  you  than  for  any  else." 

"  I  should  be  without  all  fear,"  quoth  the  noble  dame, 
"that  any  one  would  take  his  life  in  the  fray,  if  he 
would  not  follow  his  overweening  mood ;  then  the 
bold  knight  and  a  good  were  safe." 

"  Lady,"  spake  then  Hagen,  "  an'  ye  do  think  that 
men  might  wound  him,  pray  let  me  know  with  what 
manner  of  arts  I  can  prevent  this.  On  foot,  on  horse, 
will  I  ever  be  his  guard." 

She  spake :  "  Thou  art  my  kinsman  and  I  am  thine. 
I  '11  commend  to  thee  trustingly  the  dear  lover  of  mine, 
that  thou  mayst  guard  him  well,  mine  own  dear  hus- 
band." She  made  him  acquaint  with  tales  which  had 
been  better  left  unsaid.  She  spake :  "  My  husband  is 
brave  and  strong  enow.  When  he  slew  the  dragon  on 
the  hill,  the  lusty  warrior  bathed  him  of  a  truth  in  the 
blood,  so  that  since  then  no  weapon  ever  cut  him  in 
the  fray.  Yet  am  I  in  fear,   whenever  he  standeth 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   WAS   BETRAYED  123 

in  the  fight  and  many  javelins  are  cast  by  heroes' 
hands,  that  I  may  lose  this  dear  husband  of  mine. 
Alas,  how  oft  I  suffer  sore  for  Siegfried's  sake  !  Dear 
kinsman,  in  the  hope  that  thou  wilt  hold  thy  troth 
with  me,  I  '11  tell  thee  where  men  may  wound  the  dear 
lord  of  mine.  I  let  thee  hear  this,  't  is  done  in  faith. 
When  the  hot  blood  gushed  from  the  dragon's  wounds 
and  the  bold  hero  and  a  good  bathed  him  therein,  a 
broad  linden  leaf  did  fall  betwixt  his  shoulder  blades. 
Therefore  am  I  sore  afraid  that  men  may  cut  him 
there." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  Sew  a  small  mark 
upon  his  coat,  whereby  I  may  know  where  I  must 
guard  him,  when  we  stand  in  battle." 

She  weened  to  save  her  knight,  but 't  was  done  unto 
his  death.  She  spake :  "  With  fine  silk  I  '11  sew  a  se- 
cret cross  upon  his  vesture.  There,  knight,  thy  hand 
must  guard  my  husband,  when  the  strife  is  on  and  he 
standeth  in  the  battle  before  his  foes." 

"  That  will  I  well,  dear  my  lady,"  Hagen  then  re- 
plied. 

The  lady  weened  that  it  would  boot  him  aught,  but 
Kriemhild's  husband  was  thereby  betrayed.  Hagen 
then  took  leave ;  merrily  he  hied  him  hence.  The 
king's  liegeman  was  blithe  of  mood.  I  ween  that 
nevermore  will  warrior  give  such  false  counsel,  as  was 
done  by  him  when  Kriemhild  trusted  in  his  troth. 

Next  morning  Siegfried  with  a  thousand  of  his  men 
rode  merrily  forth.  He  weened  he  should  avenge  the 
grievance  of  his  kinsmen.  Hagen  rode  so  near  him 
that  he  could  eye  his  clothes.  When  he  saw  the  sign, 
he  sent  in  secret  twain  of  his  men,  who  should  tell  an- 


124  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

other  tale  :  that  Gunther's  land  should  still  have  peace 
and  that  Liudeger  had  sent  them  to  the  king.  How 
loth  Siegfried  now  rode  home  again,  or  ever  he  had 
avenged  his  kinsmen's  wrongs !  Gunther's  men  could 
hardly  turn  him  back.  He  rode  then  to  the  king ;  the 
host  gan  thank  him.  "  Now  God  requite  you  of  your 
will,  friend  Siegfried,  that  ye  do  so  willingly  what  I  bid 
you.  For  this  I  '11  ever  serve  you,  as  I  rightly  should. 
I  trust  you  more  than  all  my  friends.  Now  that  we  be 
rid  of  this  foray,  I  am  minded  to  ride  a-hunting  for 
bears  and  boars  to  the  Vosges  forest,  as  I  have  done  oft- 
time."  That  Hagen,  the  faithless  knight,  had  coun- 
seled. "  Let  it  be  told  to  all  my  guests,  that  we  ride 
betimes.  Those  that  would  hunt  with  me  must  make 
them  ready.  If  any  choose  to  stay  at  home  to  court 
the  ladies,  that  liketh  me  as  well." 

Then  spake  Sir  Siegfried  in  lordly  wise  :  "  And  ye 
would  a-hunting,  I  'd  fain  go  with  you.  Pray  lend  me 
a  huntsman  and  some  brach,1  and  I  will  ride  to  the 
pines." 

"  Will  ye  have  but  one  ? "  spake  the  king  anon. 
"  I  '11  lend  you,  an'  ye  will,  four  men  to  whom  both 
wood  and  paths  be  known  where  the  game  is  wont  to 
go,  and  who  will  not  let  you  miss  the  camp." 

Then  rode  the  full  lusty  warrior  to  his  wife,  whilst 
Hagen  quickly  told  the  king  how  he  thought  to  trap 
the  doughty  knight.  A  man  should  never  use  such 
faithlessness. 


ADVENTURE   XVI 

HOW    SIEGFRIED    WAS    SLAIN 

Gunther  and  Hagen,  the  passing  bold  knights,  faith- 
lessly let  cry  a-hunting  in  the  woods,  that  with  sharp 
spears  they  would  hunt  boars  and  bears  and  bison. 
What  might  be  braver?  With  them  rode  Siegfried  in 
lordly  guise ;  many  kinds  of  victual  did  they  take  along. 
At  a  cool  spring  he  later  lost  his  life,  the  which  Brun- 
hild, King  Gunther's  wife,  had  counseled.  The  bold 
knight  then  went  to  where  he  found  Kriemhild.  His 
costly  hunting  garb  and  those  of  his  fellowship  were 
already  bound  upon  the  sumpters,  for  they  would  cross 
the  Rhine.  Never  could  Kriemhild  have  been  more 
sorrowful.  He  kissed  his  love  upon  her  mouth.  "  God 
let  me  see  thee,  lady,  still  in  health  and  grant  that  thine 
eyes  may  see  me  too.  Thou  shalt  have  pastime  with  thy 
loving  kinsmen.  I  may  not  stay  at  home." 

Then  she  thought  of  the  tale  she  had  told  to  Hagen, 
though  she  durst  not  say  a  whit.  The  noble  queen 
began  to  rue  that  she  was  ever  born.  Lord  Siegfried's 
wife  wept  out  of  measure.  She  spake  to  the  knight : 
"  Let  be  your  hunting.  I  had  an  evil  dream  last  night, 
how  two  wild  boars  did  chase  you  across  the  heath; 
then  flowers  grew  red.  I  have  in  truth  great  cause  to 
weep  so  sore.  I  be  much  adread  of  sundry  plans  and 
whether  we  have  not  misserved  some  who  might  bear 
us  hostile  hate.  Tarry  here,  dear  my  lord,  that  I 
counsel  by  my  troth/' 


126  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

He  spake:  "  Dear  love,  I  '11  come  back  in  a  few  short 
days.  I  wot  not  here  of  people  who  bear  me  aught  of 
hate.  Each  and  all  of  thy  kinsmen  be  my  friends,  nor 
have  I  deserved  it  other  of  the  knights." 

"  No,  no,  Sir  Siegfried,  in  truth  I  fear  thy  fall.  I  had 
last  night  an  evil  dream,  how  two  mountains  fell  upon 
thee.  I  saw  thee  nevermore.  It  doth  cut  me  to  the 
heart,  that  thou  wilt  part  from  me." 

In  his  arms  he  clasped  his  courteous  wife  and  kissed 
her  tenderly.  Then  in  a  short  space  he  took  his  leave 
and  parted  hence.  Alas,  she  never  saw  him  in  health 
again. 

Then  they  rode  from  thence  into  a  deep  wood  for 
pastime's  sake.  Many  bold  knights  did  follow  Gunther 
and  his  men,  but  Gemot  and  Giselher  stayed  at  home. 
Many  laden  sumpters  were  sent  before  them  across  the 
Rhine,  the  which  bare  for  the  hunting  fellowship  bread 
and  wine,  meat  and  fish,  and  great  store  of  other  things, 
which  so  mighty  a  king  might  rightly  have.  They  bade 
the  proud  huntsmen  and  bold  halt  before  a  green  wood 
over  against  the  courses  of  the  game,  upon  a  passing 
broad  glade  where  they  should  hunt.  The  king  was  told 
that  Siegfried,  too,  was  come.  The  hunting  fellowship 
now  took  their  stand  on  every  side.  Then  the  bold 
knight,  the  sturdy  Siegfried,  asked :  "  Ye  heroes  bold 
and  brave,  who  shall  lead  us  to  the  game  within  the 
wood?" 

"  Let  us  part,"  spake  Hagen,  "  ere  we  begin  the 
chase.  Thereby  my  lords  and  I  may  know  who  be  the 
best  hunter  on  this  woodland  journey.  Let  us  divide 
the  folk  and  hounds  and  let  each  turn  whithersoever 
he  list.  He  who  doth  hunt  the   best  shall  have  our 


HOW   SIEGFRIED   WAS  SLAIN  127 

thanks."  Short  time  the  huntsmen  bided  by  another 
after  that. 

Then  spake  Lord  Siegfried  :  "  I  need  no  dogs  save 
one  brach  that  hath  been  trained  that  he  can  tell  the 
track  of  the  beasts  through  the  pine  woods."  Quoth 
Kriemhild's  husband  :   "  We  '11  find  the  game." 

Then  an  old  huntsman  took  a  good  sleuth-hound 
and  in  a  short  space  brought  the  lord  to  where  many 
beasts  were  found.  Whatso  rose  from  its  lair  the  com- 
rades hunted  as  good  hunters  still  are  wont  to  do. 
Whatever  the  brach  started,  bold  Siegfried,  the  hero 
of  Netherland,  slew  with  his  hand.  His  horse  did  run 
so  hard  that  none  escaped  him.  In  the  chase  he  gained 
the  prize  above  them  all.  Doughty  enow  he  was  in  all 
things.  The  beast  which  he  slew  with  his  hands  was 
the  first,  a  mighty  boar  ;  after  which  he  found  full 
soon  a  monstrous  lion.1  When  the  brach  started  this 
from  its  lair,  he  shot  it  with  his  bow,  in  which  he  had 
placed  a  full  sharp  arrow.  After  the  shot  the  lion  ran 
the  space  of  but  three  bounds.  The  hunting  fellowship 
gave  Siegfried  thanks.  Thereafter  he  speedily  slew  a 
bison  and  an  elk,  four  strong  ure-oxen,2  and  a  savage 
sheik.3  His  horse  bare  him  so  swiftly  that  naught  es- 
caped him,  nor  could  hart  or  hind  avoid  him.  Then 
the  sleuth-hound  found  a  mighty  boar  ;  when  he  began 
to  flee,  at  once  there  came  the  master  of  the  hunt  and 
encountered  him  upon  his  path.  Wrathfully  the  boar 
did  run  against  the  valiant  hero,  but  Kriemhild's 
husband  slew  him  with  his  sword.  Another  huntsman 
might  not  have  done  this  deed  so  lightly.  When  he 
had  felled  him,  they  leashed  the  sleuth-hound  ;  his 
rich  booty  was  soon  well  known  to  the  Burgundian  men. 


128  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  spake  his  huntsman :  "  Sir  Siegfried,  if  might 
so  be,  let  us  leave  a  deal  of  the  beasts  alive.  Ye  '11 
empty  both  our  hill  and  woods  to-day." 

At  this  the  brave  knight  and  a  bold  gan  smile. 
Then  the  calls  of  men  and  the  baying  of  hounds  were 
heard  on  every  side  ;  so  great  was  the  noise  that  both 
hill  and  pine  woods  echoed  with  the  sound.  The  hunts- 
men had  let  loose  full  four  and  twenty  packs.  Then 
passing  many  beasts  must  needs  lose  their  lives.  Each 
man  weened  to  bring  it  to  pass  that  men  should  give 
him  the  prize  of  the  hunt  ,  that  might  not  be,  for  the 
stalwart  Siegfried  was  already  standing  by  the  fire. 
The  chase  was  over,  and  yet  not  quite.  Those  who 
would  to  the  camp-fire  brought  with  them  thither 
hides  of  many  beasts  and  game  in  plenty.  Ho,  how 
much  the  king's  meiny  bare  then  to  the  kitchen ! 

Then  bade  the  king  announce  to  the  huntsmen  that 
he  would  dismount.  A  horn  was  blown  full  loud  just 
once,  that  all  might  know  that  one  might  find  the 
noble  prince  in  camp.  Spake  then  one  of  Siegfried's 
huntsmen  :  "  My  lord,  I  heard  by  the  blast  of  a  horn 
that  we  must  now  hie  us  to  the  quarters  ;  I  '11  now  give 
answer." 

Thus  by  many  blasts  of  horns  they  asked  about  the 
hunters.  Then  spake  Sir  Siegfried  :  "  Now  let  us  leave 
the  pine  wood  !  '  His  steed  bare  him  smoothly  and 
with  him  they  hasted  hence.  With  their  rout  they 
started  up  a  savage  beast ;  a  wild  bear  it  was.  Quoth 
then  the  knight  to  those  behind  :  "  I  '11  give  our  fellow- 
ship a  little  pastime.  Let  loose  the  brach.  Forsooth  I 
spy  a  bear  which  shall  journey  with  us  to  the  camp. 
Flee  he  never  so  fast,  he  shall  not  escape  us." 


HOW   SIEGFRIED  WAS   SLAIN  129 

The  brach  was  loosed,  the  bear  sprang  hence ; 
Krienihilcl's  husband  would  fain  overtake  him.  He 
reached  a  thicket,  where  none  could  follow.  The 
mighty  beast  weened  now  to  escape  from  the  hunter 
with  his  life,  but  the  proud  knight  and  a  good 
leaped  from  his  steed  and  began  to  chase  him.  The 
bear  was  helpless  and  could  not  flee  away.  At  once  the 
hero  caught  it  and  bound  it  quickly  with  not  a  wound, 
so  that  it  might  neither  scratch  nor  bite  the  men.  The 
doughty  knight  then  tied  it  to  his  saddle  and  horsed 
him  quickly.  Through  his  overweening  mood  the  bold 
warrior  and  a  good  brought  it  to  the  camp-fire  as  a 
pastime.  In  what  lordly  wise  he  rode  to  the  quarters ! 
Mickle  was  his  boar-spear,  strong  and  broad.  A  dainty 
sword  hung  downward  to  his  spurs.  The  lord  bare  also 
a  fair  horn  of  ruddy  gold.  Never  heard  I  tale  of  better 
hunting  weeds.  One  saw  him  wear  a  coat  of  black  and 
silky  cloth  and  a  hat  of  sable  :  rich  enow  it  was.  Ho, 
what  costly  bands  he  wore  upon  his  quiver !  A  pan- 
ther's skin  was  drawn  over  it  for  its  sweet  fragrance'1 
sake.  He  bare  a  bow,  which  any  but  the  hero  must 
needs  draw  back  with  a  windlass,  and  he  would  bend 
it.  His  vesture  was  befurred  with  otter  -  skin  from 
head  to  toe.  From  the  bright  fur  shone  out  on  both 
sides  of  the  bold  master  of  the  hunt  many  a  bar  of 
gold.  Bahnung3  he  also  bare,  a  good  broad  sword, 
that  was  so  sharp  that  it  never  failed  when  't  was 
wielded  'gainst  a  helmet ;  its  edge  was  good.  In  high 
spirits  was  the  lordly  huntsman.  Sith  I  must  tell  you 
all  the  tale,  his  costly  quiver  was  full  of  goodly  darts, 
the  heads  a  full  hand  s  breadth,  on  golden  shafts. 
What  he  pierced  therewith  must  needs  die  soon. 


130  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Thus  the  noble  knight  rode  hence  in  hunter's  garb. 
Gunther's  men  espied  him  coming  and  ran  out  to 
meet  him  and  took  his  horse  in  charge.  On  his  saddle 
he  carried  a  large  bear  and  a  strong.  When  he  had 
dismounted,  he  loosed  the  bonds  from  feet  and  snout. 
Those  of  the  pack  bayed  loudly,  that  spied  the  bear. 
The  beast  would  to  the  woods  ;  the  serving  folk  had 
fear.  Dazed  by  the  din,  the  bear  made  for  the  kitchen. 
Ho,  how  he  drove  the  scullions  from  the  fire !  Many 
a  kettle  was  upset  and  many  a  firebrand  scattered. 
Ho,  what  good  victual  men  found  lying  in  the  ashes ! 
Then  the  lordings  and  their  liegemen  sprang  from 
their  seats.  The  bear  grew  furious  and  the  king 
bade  loose  the  pack  that  lay  enleashed.  Had  all  sped 
well,  they  would  have  had  a  merry  day.  No  longer  the 
doughty  men  delayed,  but  ran  for  the  bear  with  bows 
and  pikes.  There  was  such  press  of  dogs  that  none 
might  shoot,  but  from  the  people's  shouts  the  whole 
hill  rang.  The  bear  began  to  flee  before  the  dogs  ; 
none  could  follow  him  but  Kriemhild's  husband,  who 
caught  and  slew  him  with  his  sword.  Then  they  bore 
the  bear  again  to  the  fire.  Those  that  saw  it,  averred 
he  was  a  mighty  man. 

Men  bade  now  the  proud  hunting  fellowship  seat 
them  at  the  tables.  Upon  a  fair  mead  there  sate  a 
goodly  company.  Ho,  what  rich  viands  they  bare  there 
to  the  noble  huntsmen  !  The  butlers  who  should  bring 
the  wine  delayed  ;  else  might  never  heroes  have  been 
better  served.  Had  they  not  been  so  falsely  minded, 
then  had  the  knights  been  free  of  every  blame. 

Now  the  Lord  Siegfried  spake :  "  Me-vvondereth, 
since  men  do  give  us  such  great  store  from  the  kitchen, 


HOW   SIEGFRIED  WAS   SLAIN  131 

why  the  butlers  bring-  us  not  the  wine.  Unless  men 
purvey  the  hunters  better,  I  '11  be  no  more  your  hunt- 
ing-fellow. I  have  well  deserved  that  they  regard  me, 
too." 

The  king  addressed  him  from  his  seat  with  guile: 
"  We  fain  would  do  you  remedy  of  what  we  lack.  It  is 
Hagen's  fault,  who  is  willed  to  let  us  die  of  thirst." 

Then  spake  Hagen  :  "  Dear  my  lord,  I  weened  that 
the  hunt  should  be  in  the  Spessart  1  wood,  therefore 
sent  I  thither  the  wine.  Though  we  may  not  drink  to- 
day, how  well  will  I  avoid  this  in  the  future !  " 

At  this  Lord  Siegfried  spake  :  "  Small  thanks  ye  '11 
get  for  that.  One  should  have  brought  me  hither 
seven  sumpter  loads  of  mead  and  mulled  wine.2  If 
that  might  not  be,  then  men  should  have  placed  our 
benches  nearer  to  the  Rhine." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg  :  "  Ye  noble  knights 
and  bold,  I  wot  near  by  a  good  cold  spring.  Let  us  go 
thither,  that  ye  wax  not  wroth." 

To  the  danger  of  many  a  knight  was  this  counsel 
given.  The  pangs  of  thirst  now  plagued  the  warrior 
Siegfried.  He  bade  the  tables  be  borne  away  the  sooner, 
for  he  would  go  to  the  spring  in  the  mountains.  With 
false  intent  the  counsel  was  then  given  by  the  knights. 
They  bade  the  game  which  Siegfried's  hand  had  slain, 
be  carried  home  on  wains.  Whoever  saw  it  gave  him 
gnat  laud.  Hagen  of  Troneg  now  foully  broke  his 
troth  to  Siegfried.  When  they  would  hence  to  the 
broad  linden,  he  spake  :  "It  hath  oft  been  told  me, 
that  none  can  keep  pace  witli  Kriemhild's  husband 
when  he  be  minded  for  to  race.  Ho,  if  he  would  only 
let  us  see  it  here !  " 


132  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Bold   Siegfried   from   Netherland   then    answered: 
;  Ye  can  well  test  that,  and  ye  will  run  a  race  with 
me  to  the  spring.   When  that  is  done,  we  can  give  the 
prize  to  him  who  winneth." 

"  So  let  us  try  it  then,"  quoth  Hagen,  the  knight. 

Spake  the  sturdy  Siegfried :  "  Then  will  I  lay  me 
down  on  the  green  sward  at  your  feet."1 

,  How  lief  it  was  to  Gunther,  when  he  heard  these 
words  !  Then  the  bold  knight  spake  again  :  "  I  '11  tell 
you  more.  I  '11  take  with  me  all  my  trappings,  my 
spear  and  shield  and  all  my  hunting  garb."  Around 
him  he  quickly  girded  his  quiver  and  his  sword. 

Then  they  drew  the  clothes  from  off  their  limbs; 
men  saw  them  stand  in  two  white  shifts.  Like  two 
wild  panthers  through  the  clover  they  rau,  but  men 
spied  bold  Siegfried  first  at  the  spring.  In  all  things 
he  bare  away  the  prize  from  many  a  man.  Quickly  he 
ungirt  his  sword  and  laid  aside  his  quiver  and  leaned 
the  stout  spear  against  a  linden  bough.  The  lordly 
stranger  stood  now  by  the  flowing  spring.  Passing 
great  was  Siegfried's  courtesie.  He  laid  down  his  shield 
where  the  spring  gushed  forth,  but  the  hero  drank 
not,  albeit  he  thirsted  sore,  until  the  king  had  drunk, 
who  gave  him  evil  thanks.  Cool,  clear,  and  good  was 
the  spring.  Gunther  stooped  down  then  to  the  flowing 
stream,  and  when  he  had  drunken  straightened  up 
again.  Bold  Siegfried  would  fain  also  have  done  the 
same,  but  now  he  paid  for  'his  courtesie.  Hagen  bare 
quite  away  from  him  both  bow  and  sword  and  bounded 
then  to  where  he  found  the  spear  ;  then  he  looked  for 
the  mark  on  bold  Siegfried's  coat.  As  Lord  Siegfried 
drank  above  the  spring,  he  pierced  him  through  the 


HOW   SIEGFRIED  WAS   SLAIN  133 

cross,  so  that  his  heart's  blood  spurted  from  the 
wounds  almost  on  Hagen's  clothes.  Nevermore  will 
hero  do  so  foul  a  deed.  Hagen  left  the  spear  a-stick- 
ing  in  his  heart  and  fled  more  madly  than  he  ever  in 
the  world  had  run  from  any  man. 

When  Lord  Siegfried  felt  the  mighty  wound,  up 
from  the  spring  he  started  in  a  rage.  From  betwixt 
his  shoulder  blades  a  long  spear-shaft  towered.  He 
weened  to  find  his  bow  or  his  sword,  and  then  had 
Plagen  been  repaid  as  he  deserved.  But  when  the 
sorely  wounded  hero  found  no  trace  of  his  sword,  then 
had  he  naught  else  but  his  shield.  This  he  snatched 
from  the  spring  and  ran  at  Hagen  ;  nor  could  King 
Gunther's  man  escape  him.  Albeit  he  was  wounded 
unto  death,  yet  he  smote  so  mightily  that  a  plenty  of 
precious  stones  were  shaken  from  the  shield.  The 
shield  itself  burst  quite  apart.  Fain  would  the  lordly 
stranger  have  avenjred  him.  Xow  was  Ha^en  fallen  to 
the  ground  at  his  hands,  and  from-  the  force  of  the 
blow  the  glade  rang  loudly.  Had  he  had  a  sword  in 
hand,  then  had  it  been  Hagen's  death,  so  sore  enraged 
was  the  wounded  man.  Forsooth  he  had  good  cause 
thereof.  His  hue  grew  pale,  he  could  not  stand  ;  his 
strength  of  body  melted  quite  away,  for  in  bright 
colors  he  bore  the  signs  of  death.  Thereafter  he  was 
bewailed  by  fair  dames  enow. 

Kriemhild's  husband  fell  now  among  the  flowers. 
Fast  from  his  wounds  his  blood  was  seen  to  gush.  He 
began  to  rail,  as  indeed  he  had  great  cause,  at  those 
who  had  planned  this  treacherous  death.  The  deadly 
wounded  spake:  "Forsooth,  ye  evil  cowards,  what 
avail  my  services  now  that  ye  have  slain  me  ?  This  is 


134  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

my  reward  that  I  was  always  faithful  to  you.  Alas, 
ye  have  acted  ill  against  your  kinsmen.  Those  of  them 
who  are  born  in  after  days  will  be  disgraced.  Ye 
have  avenged  your  wrath  too  sore  upon  me.  With 
shame  shall  ye  be  parted  from  all  good  warriors." 

The  knights  all  ran  to  where  he  lay  slain.  For  enow 
of  them  it  was  a  hapless  day.  He  was  bewailed  by 
those  who  had  aught  of  loyalty,  and  this  the  brave 
and  lusty  knight  had  well  deserved.  The  king  of  the 
Burgundians  bemoaned  his  death.  Quoth  the  deadly 
wounded  :  "  There  is  no  need  that  he  should  weep 
who  hath  done  the  damage;  he  doth  merit  mickle 
blame.   It  had  been  better  left  undone." 

Then  spake  the  fierce  Hagen :  "  Forsooth  I  wot 
not  what  ye  now  bewail.  All  our  fear  and  all  our  woe 
have  now  an  end.  We  shall  find  scant  few  who  dare 
withstand  us  now.  Well  is  me,  that  to  his  rule  I  have 
put  an  end." 

"  Ye  may  lightly  boast  you,"  Siegfried  then  replied. 
"  Had  I  wist  your  murderous  bent,  I  had  well  guarded 
my  life  against  you.  None  doth  rue  me  so  sore  as 
Lady  Kriemhild,  my  wife.  Now  may  God  have  pity 
that  I  ever  had  a  sou  to  whom  the  reproach  will  be 
made  in  after  days,  that  his  kindred  have  slain  a  man 
with  murderous  intent.  If  I  might,"  so  spake  Sieg- 
fried, "  I  should  rightly  make  complaint  of  this." 
Piteously  the  deadly  wounded  spake  again  :  "  Noble 
king,  if  ye  will  keep  your  troth  to  any  in  the  world, 
then  let  my  dear  love  be  commended  to  your  grace 
and  let  it  avail  her  that  she  be  your  sister.  For  the 
sake  of  your  princely  courtesie  protect  her  faithfully. 
My  father  and    my    men    must    wait  long    time  for 


HOW  SIEGFRIED  WAS   SLAIN  135 

me.  Never  was  woman  sorer  wounded  in  a  loving 
friend." 

The  flowers  on  every  side  were  wet  with  blood. 
With  death  he  struggled,  but  not  for  long,  sith  the 
sword  of  death  had  cut  him  all  too  sorely.  Then  the 
lusty  warrior  and  a  brave  could  speak  no  more. 

When  the  lordings  saw  that  the  knight  was  dead, 
they  laid  him  on  a  shield  of  ruddy  gold  and  took 
counsel  how  they  might  conceal  that  Hagen  had  done 
the  deed.  Enow  of  them  spake :  "  111  hath  it  gone 
with  us.  Ye  must  all  hide  it  and  aver  alike  that 
robbers  slew  Kriemhild's  husband  as  he  rode  alone 
a-hunting  through  the  pine  wood." 

Then  Hagen  of  Troneg  spake :  "  I  '11  bring  him 
home  ;  I  care  not  if  it  be  known  to  her,  for  she  hath 
saddened  Brunhild's  heart.  Little  doth  it  trouble  me 
however  much  she  weep." 


ADVENTURE   XVII 

HOW   KRIEMHILD  MOURNED   HER   HUSBAND  AND  HOW 
HE   WAS    BURIED 

Then  they  waited  for  the  night  and  crossed  the  Rhine. 
Never  had  heroes  hunted  worse.  Noble  maids  bewept 
the  game  they  slew.  Forsooth  many  good  warriors  must 
needs  atone  for  this  in  after  days.  Now  ye  may  hear  a 
tale  of  great  overweening  and  dire  revenge.  Hagen  bade 
carry  Siegfried  of  the  Nibelung  land,  thus  dead,  before 
the  bower  where  Kriemhild  lodged.  He  bade  place  him 
stealthily  against  the  door,  that  she  might  find  him  when 
she  went  forth  before  the  break  of  day  to  matins,  which 
Lady  Kriemhild  full  seldom  missed  through  sleep. 

Men  rang  the  minster  bells  according  to  their  cus- 
tom. Lady  Kriemhild,  the  fair,  now  waked  her  many 
maids  and  bade  them  bring  a  light  and  her  vesture,  too. 
Then  came  a  chamberlain  and  found  Siegfried  there. 
He  saw  him  red  with  blood,  his  clothes  all  wet.  He  wist 
not  it  was  his  lord,  but  with  the  light  in  his  hand  he 
hasted  to  the  bower  and  through  this  Lady  Kriemhild 
learned  the  baneful  tale.  As  she  would  set  out  with  her 
ladies  for  the  minster,  the  chamberlain  spake :  "  Pray 
stay  your  feet,  there  doth  lie  before  the  chamber  a 
knight,  slain  unto  death." 

Kriemhild  gan  make  passing  sore  wail,  or  ever  she 
heard  aright  that  it  was  her  husband.  She  began  to 
think  of  Hagen's  question,  of  how  he  might  protect  him. 
Then  first  she  suffered  dole  ;  she  renounced  all  pleasure 


HOW  KRIEMHJLLD  BURIED  HER  HUSBAND     137 

at  his  death.  To  the  earth  she  sank,  not  a  word  she 
spake,  and  here  they  found  lying  the  hapless  fair.  Pass- 
ing great  grew  Kriemhild's  woe.  After  her  faint,  she 
shrieked,  that  all  the  chamber  rang.  Then  her  meiny 
said  :  "  Perchance  it  is  a  stranger  knight." 

The  blood  gushed  from  her  mouth,  from  dole  of 
heart;  she  spake  :  "  'T  is  Siegfried,  mine  own  dear  hus- 
band. Brunhild  hath  counseled  this  and  Hagen  hath 
done  the  deed." 

The  lady  bade  them  lead  her  to  where  the  hero  lay. 
With  her  white  hand  she  raised  his  head,  and  though  it 
was  red  with  blood,  she  knew  him  soon.  There  lay  the 
hero  of  the  Nibelung  land  in  piteous  guise.  The  gracious 
queen  cried  sadly :  "  Oh,  woe  is  me  of  my  sorrow ! 
Thy  shield  is  not  carved  with  swords,  thou  liest  mur- 
dered here.  AVist  I  who  hath  done  the  deed,  I  'd  ever 
plot  his  death." 

All  her  maids  made  mourn  and  wailed  with  their  dear 
lady,  for  they  grieved  full  sore  for  their  noble  lord  whom 
they  had  lost.  Hagen  had  cruelly  avenged  the  wrath 
of  Brunhild. 

Then  spake  the  grief-stricken  dame :  "  Go  now  and 
wake  with  haste  all  Siegfried's  men.  Tell  Siegmund 
also  of  my  grief,  mayhap  he  '11  help  me  bewail  brave 
Siegfried." 

A  messenger  ran  quickly  to  where  lay  Siegfried's 
warriors  from  the  Nibelung  land,  and  with  his  baleful 
tidings  stole  their  joy.  They  could  scarce  believe  it, 
till  they  heard  the  weeping.  Right  soon  the  messenger 
came  to  where  the  king  did  lie.  Siegmund,  the  lord, 
was  not  asleep.  I  trow  his  heart  did  tell  him  what  had 
happed.  Never  again  might  he  see  his  dear  son  alive. 


138  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  Awake,  Sir  Siegmund  ;  Kriemhild,  my  lady,  bade 
me  go  to  fetch  you.  A  wrong  hath  been  done  her  that 
doth  cut  her  to  the  heart,  more  than  all  other  ills.  Ye 
must  help  her  mourn,  for  much  it  doth  concern  you." 

Siegmund  sat  up ;  he  spake :  "  What  are  fair 
Kriemhild's  ills,  of  which  thou  tellest  me  ?  " 

Weeping  the  messenger  spake :  "  I  cannot  hide 
them  from  you  ;  alas,  bold  Siegfried  of  Netherland 
is  slain." 

Quoth  Siegmund :  "  For  my  sake  let  be  this  jesting 
and  such  evil  tales,  that  thou  shouldst  tell  any  that  he 
be  dead,  for  I  might  never  bewail  him  fully  before  my 
death." 

"  If  ye  will  believe  naught  of  what  ye  hear  me  say, 
then  ye  may  hear  yourself  Kriemhild  and  all  her  maids 
bewailing  Siegfried's  death." 

Siegmund  then  was  sore  affrighted,  as  indeed  he 
had  great  need.  He  and  a  hundred  of  his  men  sprang 
from  their  beds  and  grasped  with  their  hands  theii 
long  sharp  swords.  In  sorrow  they  ran  toward  the 
sound  of  wail.  Then  came  a  thousand  men-at-arms,  bold 
Siegfried's  men.  When  they  heard  the  ladies  wail  so 
pitifully,  some  first  grew  ware  that  they  should  dress 
them.  Forsooth  they  lost  their  wits  for  very  sorrow. 
Great  heaviness  was  buried  in  their  hearts. 

Then  King  Siegmund  came  to  where  he  found 
Kriemhild.  He  spake  :  "  Alas  for  the  journey  hither 
to  this  land !  Who  hath  so  foully  bereft  me  of  my 
child  and  you  of  your  husband  among  such  good 
friends?" 

"  Oh,  if  I  knew  him,"  spake  the  noble  wife,  "  neither 
my  heart  nor  soul  would  ever  wish  him  well.  I  would 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  BURIED  HER  HUSBAND     139 

plan  such  ill  against  him  that  his  kin  must  ever 
weep  because  of  me." 

Around  the  prince  Lord  Siegmund  threw  his  arms. 
So  great  grew  the  sorrow  of  his  kin,  that  the  palace, 
the  hall,  and  the  town  of  Worms  resounded  from  the 
mighty  wail  and  weeping.  None  might  now  comfort 
Siegfried's  wife.  They  stripped  off  the  clothes  from 
his  fair  body  ;  they  washed  his  wounds  and  laid  him 
on  the  bier.  Woe  were  his  people  from  their  mighty 
grief.  Then  spake  his  warriors  from  the  Nibelung  land: 
"  Our  hands  be  ever  ready  to  avenge  him ;  he  liveth 
in  this  castle  who  hath  done  the  deed." 

All  of  Siegfried's  men  hasted  then  to  arms.  These 
chosen  knights  came  with  their  shields,  eleven  hundred 
men-at-arms,  whom  Lord  Siegmund  had  in  his  troop. 
He  would  fain  avenge  the  death  of  his  son,  as  indeed 
he  had  great  need.  They  wist  not  to  whom  they  should 
address  their  strife,  unless  it  be  to  Gunther  and  his 
men,  with  whom  Lord  Siegfried  had  ridden  to  the 
hunt. 

Kriemhild  saw  them  armed,  which  rued  her  sore. 
However  great  her  grief  and  how  dire  her  need,  yet 
she  did  so  mightily  fear  the  death  of  the  Nibelungs  at 
the  hands  of  her  brothers'  liegemen,  that  she  tried  to 
hinder  it.  In  kindly  wise  she  warned  them,  as  kinsmen 
do  to  loving  kin.  The  grief-stricken  woman  spake : 
"My  Lord  Siegmund,  what  will  ye  do?  Ye  wot 
naught  aright  ;  forsooth  King  Gunther  hath  so  many 
valiant  men,  ye  will  all  be  lost,  and  ye  would  encoun- 
ter these  knights." 

With  their  shields  uncovered,  the  men  stood  eager 
for  the  fight.  The  noble  queen  both  begged  and  bade 


140  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

that  the  lusty  knights  avoid  it.  "When  they  would  not 
give  it  over,  sorely  it  grieved  her.  She  spake :  "  Lord 
Siegmund,  ye  must  let  it  be  until  more  fitting  time, 
then  I  '11  avenge  my  husband  with  you.  An'  I  receive 
proof  who  hath  bereft  me  of  him,  I  '11  do  him  scathe. 
There  be  too  many  haughty  warriors  by  the  Rhine, 
wherefore  I  will  not  counsel  you  to  fight.  They  have 
full  well  thirty  men  to  each  of  ours.  Now  God  speed 
them,  as  they  deserve  of  us.  Stay  ye  here  and  bear 
with  me  my  dole.  When  it  beginneth  to  dawn,  help 
me,  ye  lusty  knights,  to  coffin  the  dear  husband  of 
mine." 

Quoth  the  knights :  "  That  shall  be  done." 
None  might  tell  you  all  the  marvel  of  knights  and 
ladies,  how  they  were  heard  to  wail,  so  that  even  in 
the  town  men  marked  the  sound  of  weeping.  The  noble 
burghers  hasted  hither.  With  the  guests  they  wept, 
for  they,  too,  were  sore  aggrieved.  None  had  told  them 
of  any  guilt  of  Siegfried,  or  for  what  cause  the  noble 
warrior  lost  his  life.  The  wives  of  the  worthy  burghers 
wept  with  the  ladies  of  the  court.  Men  bade  smiths  haste 
tc  work  a  coffin  of  silver  and  of  gold,  mickleand  strong, 
and  make  it  firm  with  strips  of  good  hard  steel.  Sad  of 
heart  were  all  the  folk. 

The  night  was  gone,  men  said  the  day  was  dawning. 
Then  the  noble  lady  bade  them  bear  Lord  Siegfried, 
her  loved  husband,  to  the  minster.  Whatever  friends 
lie  had  there  were  seen  weeping  as  they  went.  Many 
bells  were  ringing  as  they  brought  him  to  the  church. 
On  every  side  one  heard  the  chant  of  many  priests. 
Then  came  King  Gunther  with  his  men  and  grim 
Hagen   also    toward    the   sound   of  wail.    Pie  spake : 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  BURIED  HER  HUSBAND     141 

"  Alas  for  thy  wrongs,  dear  sister,  that  we  may  not  be 
free  from  this  great  scathe.  We  must  ever  lament  for 
Siegfried's  death." 

"  That  ye  do  without  cause,"  spake  the  sorrow-laden 
wife.  "  Were  this  loth  to  you,  it  never  would  have 
happed.  I  may  well  aver,  ye  thought  not  on  me,  when 
I  thus  was  parted  from  my  dear  husband.  Would 
to  God,"  quoth  Kriemhild,  "  that  it  had  happed  to  me." 

Firmly  they  made  denial.  Kriemhild  gan  speak : 
"  Whoso  declareth  him  guiltless,  let  him  show  that 
now.  He  must  walk  to  the  bier  before  all  the  folk  ; 
thereby  one  may  know  the  truth  eftsoon." 

This  is  a  great  marvel,  which  oft  doth  hap  ;  when- 
ever the  blood-stained  murderer  is  seen  to  stand  by 
the  dead,  the  latter's  wounds  do  bleed,1  as  indeed 
happed  here,  whereby  one  saw  the  guilt  was  Hagen's. 
The  wounds  bled  sore,  as  they  had  done  at  first.  Much 
greater  grew  the  weeping  of  those  who  wailed  afore. 

Then  spake  King  Gunther :  "  I  'd  have  you  know 
that  robbers  slew  him  ;  Hagen  did  not  do  the  deed." 

"  I  know  these  robbers  well,"  quoth  she.  "  Now  may 
God  yet  let  his  friends  avenge  it.  Certes,  Gunther  and 
Hagen,  'twas  done  by  you." 

Siegfried's  knights  were  now  bent  on  strife.  Then 
Kriemhild  spake  again :  "  Now  share  with  me  this 
grief." 

Gemot,  her  brother,  and  young  Giselher,  these 
twain  now  came  to  where  they  found  him  dead.  They 
mourned  him  truly  with  the  others  ;  Kriemhild's  men 
wept  inly.  Now  should  mass  be  sung,  so  on  every  side, 
men,  wives,  and  children  did  hie  them  to  the  minster. 
Even  those  who  might  lightly  bear  his  loss,  wept  then 


142  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

for  Siegfried.  Gemot  and  Giselher  spake :  "  Sister 
mine,  now  comfort  thee  after  this  death,  as  needs  must 
be.  We  '11  try  to  make  it  up  to  thee,  the  while  we 
live." 

Yet  none  in  the  world  might  give  her  comfort.  His 
coffin  was  ready  well  towards  midday.  From  the  bier 
whereon  he  lay  they  raised  him.  The  lady  would  not 
have  that  he  be  buried,  so  that  all  the  folk  had  mickle 
trouble.  In  a  rich  cloth  of  silk  they  wound  the  dead. 
I  ween,  men  found  none  there  that  did  not  weep. 
Uta,  the  noble  dame,  and  all  her  meiny  mourned  bit- 
terly the  stately  man.  When  it  was  noised  abroad  that 
men  sang  in  the  minster  and  had  encoffined  him,  then 
rose  a  great  press  of  folk.  What  offerings  they  made 
for  his  soul's  sake !  He  had  good  friends  enow  among 
these  foes.  Poor  Kriemhild  spake  to  her  chamberlains : 
"  Ye  must  now  be  put  to  trouble  for  my  sake,  ye  who 
wished  him  well  and  be  my  friends.  For  Siegfried's 
soul  shall  ye  deal  out  his  gold." 

No  child,  however  small,  that  had  its  wits,  but  must 
go  to  service,  or  ever  he  was  buried.  Better  than  a 
hundred  masses  were  sung  that  day.  Great  throng 
"was  there  of  Siegfried's  friends. 

When  that  mass  was  sung,  the  folk  went  hence. 
Then  Lady  Kriemhild  spake  :  "  Pray  let  me  not  hold 
vigil  over  the  chosen  knight  this  night  alone.  With 
him  all  my  joys  have  come  to  fall.  I  will  let  him  lie  in 
state  three  days  and  nights,  until  I  sate  me  with  my 
dear  lord.  What  if  God  doth  bid  that  death  should 
take  me  too.  Then  had  ended  well  the  grief  of  me, 
poor  Kriemhild." 

The  people  of  the  town  returned  now  to  their  lodg- 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  BURIED  HER  HUSBAND     143 

ings.  She  begged  the  priests  and  monks  and  all  his 
retinue,  that  served  the  knight,  to  stay.  They  spent 
full  evil  nights  and  toilsome  days  ;  many  a  man  re- 
mained without  all  food  and  drink.  For  those  who 
would  partake,  it  was  made  known  that  men  would 
give  them  to  the  full.  This  Sir  Siegmund  purveyed. 
Then  were  the  Nibelungs  made  acquaint  with  mickle 
toil.  During  the  three  days,  as  we  hear  tell,  those  who 
knew  how  to  sing,  were  made  to  bear  a  deal  of  work. 
What  offerings  men  brought  them  !  Those  who  were 
very  poor,  grew  rich  enow.  Whatever  of  poor  men 
there  were,  the  which  had  naught,  these  were  bid  go 
to  mass  with  gold  from  Siegfried's  treasure  chamber. 
Since  he  might  not  live,  many  thousand  marks  of  gold 
were  given  for  his  soul.  She  dealt  out  well-tilled  lands, 
wherever  cloisters  and  pious  folk  were  found.  Enow 
of  gold  and  silver  was  given  to  the  poor.  By  her  deeds 
she  showed  that  she  did  love  him  fondly. 

Upon  the  third  morning  at  time  of  mass,  the  broad 
churchyard  by  the  minster  was  full  of  weeping  country 
folk.  They  served  him  after  death,  as  one  should  do 
to  loving  kin.  In  the  four  days,  as  hath  been  told,  full 
thirty  thousand  marks  or  better  still  were  given  to  the 
poor  for  his  soul's  sake.  Yet  his  great  beauty  and  his 
life  lay  low.  When  God  had  been  served  and  the 
chants  were  ended,  much  people  fought  'gainst  mon- 
strous grief.  Men  bade  bear  him  from  the  minster  to 
the  grave.  Those  were  seen  to  weep  and  wail  who 
missed  him  most.  With  loud  laments  the  people  fol- 
lowed hence  ;  none  was  merry,  neither  wife  nor  man. 
They  sang  and  read  a  service  before  they  buried  him. 
Ho,  what  good  priests  were  present  at  his  burial !   Ere 


144  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Siegfried's  wife  was  come  to  the  grave,  her  faithful 
heart  was  rung  with  grief,  so  that  they  must  needs 
oft  sprinkle  her  with  water  from  the  spring.  Her  pain 
was  passing  great ;  a  mickle  wonder  it  was  that  she 
ever  lived.  Many  a  lady  helped  her  in  her  plaint. 

Then  spake  the  queen :  "  Ye  men  of  Siegfried,  by 
your  loyalty  must  ye  prove  your  love  to  me.  Let  me 
receive  this  little  favor  after  all  my  woe,  that  I  may 
see  once  more  his  comely  head." 

She  begged  so  long,  with  grief's  strong  will,  that 
they  must  needs  break  open  the  lordly  casket.  Then 
men  brought  the  lady  to  where  he  lay.  With  her  white 
hand  she  raised  his  fair  head  and  kissed  the  noble 
knight  and  good,  thus  dead.  Tears  of  blood  her 
bright  eyes  wept  from  grief.  Then  there  happed  a 
piteous  parting.  Men  bare  her  hence,  she  could  not 
walk,  and  soon  they  found  the  high-born  lady  lying 
senseless.  Fain  would  the  lovely  fair  have  died  of 
grief. 

When  they  had  now  buried  the  noble  lord,  those 
who  were  come  with  him  from  the  Nibelung  land  were 
seen  to  suffer  from  unmeasured  grief.  Men  found 
Siegmund  full  seldom  merry  then.  There  were  those 
that  for  three  days  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  for 
passing  grief.  Yet  might  they  not  so  waste  away  their 
bodies,  but  that  they  recovered  from  their  sorrows,  as 
otill  happeneth  oft  enow. 


ADVENTURE   XVIII 

HOW  SIEGMUND  JOURNEYED  HOME  AGAIN 

Kriemhild's  husband's  father  went  to  where  he  found 
her.  Unto  the  queen  he  spake :  "  We  must  unto  our 
land;  by  the  Rhine,  I  ween,  we  be  unwelcome  guests. 
Kriemhild,  dear  lady,  now  journey  with  me  to  my 
lands.  Albeit  treachery  here  in  these  lands  hath  be- 
reft us  of  your  noble  husband,  yet  should  ye  not  re- 
quite this.  I  will  be  friendly  to  you  for  my  dear  son's 
sake,  of  this  shall  ye  have  no  doubt,  Ye  shall  have, 
my  lady,  all  the  power  which  Siegfried,  the  bold 
knight,  gave  you  aforetime.  The  land  and  also  the 
crown  shall  be  subject  to  you.  All  Siegfried's  men 
shall  serve  you  gladly." 

Then  the  squires  were  told  that  they  must  ride  away. 
A  mickle  hurrying  for  steeds  was  seen,  for  they  were 
loth  to  stay  with  their  deadly  foes.  Men  bade  dames 
and  maidens  seek  their  robes.  When  that  King  Sieg- 
mund  would  fain  have  ridden  forth,  Kriemhild's  mother 
gan  beg  her  that  she  stay  there  with  her  kindred. 

The  royal  lady  answered  :  "That  might  hardly  hap. 
How  could  I  bear  the  sight  of  him  from  whom  such 
great  wrong  hath  happed  to  me,  poor  wife?  " 

Then  spake  young  Giselher  :  "  Dear  sister  mine,  by 
thy  troth  thou  shouldst  stay  here  with  thy  mother. 
Thou  dost  need  no  service  of  them  that  have  grieved 
thee  and  saddened  thy  mood.  Live  from  my  goods 
alone." 


146  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

To  the  warrior  she  spake  :  "  Certes,  it  may  not  hap, 
for  I  should  die  of  dole  whenever  I  should  gaze  on 
Hagen." 

"  I  '11  give  thee  rede  for  that,  dear  sister  mine. 
Thou  shalt  live  with  thy  brother  Giselher,  and  of  a 
truth  I  '11  comfort  thee  of  thy  husband's  death." 

Then  answered  the  hapless  wife :  "  Of  that  hath 
Kriemhild  need." 

When  the  youth  had  made  her  such  kindly  offer, 
then  gan  Uta  and  Gemot  and  her  faithful  kin  entreat. 
They  begged  her  to  tarry  there,  for  but  little  kith  she 
had  among  Siegfried's  men. 

"  They  be  all  strangers  to  you,"  spake  Gemot ; 
"  none  that  liveth  is  so  strong  but  that  he  must  come 
to  die.  Consider  that,  dear  sister,  and  console  your 
mind.  Stay  with  your  kinsfolk ;  ye  shall  fare  well  in 
truth." 

Then  she  made  vow  to  Giselher  that  she  would 
stay.  The  steeds  were  brought  for  Siegfried's  men, 
sith  they  would  ride  to  the  Nibelung  land.  Also  all 
the  trappings  of  the  knights  were  packed  upon  the 
sumpters.  Then  the  Lord  Siegmund  hied  him  to  Kriem- 
hild's  side.  To  the  lady  he  spake :  "  Siegfried's  men 
are  waiting  by  the  steeds.  Now  must  we  ride  away, 
for  I  be  ill  content  in  Burgundy." 

The  Lady  Kriemhild  then  replied :  "  All  that  I 
have  of  faithful  kin  advise  me  that  I  stay  here  with 
them ;  I  have  no  kith  in  the  Nibelung  land." 

Loth  it  was  to  Siegmund,  when  that  he  found 
Kriemhild  of  this  mind.  He  spake :  "  Let  no  one  tell 
you  that.  Before  all  my  kinsmen  ye  shall  wear  the 
crown  with  such  sovran  power  as  ye  did  aforetime. 


HOW  SIEGMUND  JOURNEYED  HOME  AGAIN     147 

Ye  shall  not  suffer,  because  we  have  lost  the  knight. 
Ride  also  with  us  home  again,  for  the  sake  of  your 
little  child.  Lady,  ye  should  not  leave  him  orphaned. 
When  your  son  groweth  up,  he  will  comfort  your 
heart.  Meanwhile  many  bold  heroes  and  good  shall 
serve  you." 

"Sir  Siegmund,"  quoth  she,  "forsooth  I  like  not 
for  to  ride.  Whatever  fortune,  here  must  I  tarry  with 
my  kindred,  who  help  me  mourn." 

These  tales  gan  now  displease  the  doughty  warriors. 
All  spake  alike  :  "  We  might  well  aver  that  now  first 
hath  ill  befallen  us.  If  ye  would  stay  here  with  our 
foes,  then  have  heroes  never  ridden  to  court  more 
sorrowfully." 

"  Ye  shall  journey  free  of  care,  commended  unto 
God ;  ye  shall  be  given  safe-conduct  to  Siegmund's 
land,  I'll  bid  them  guard  you  well.  To  the  care  of 
you  knights  shall  my  dear  child  be  given." 

When  they  marked  that  she  would  not  go  hence, 
then  wept  all  of  Siegmund's  men  alike.  How  right 
sorrowfully  Siegmund  parted  then  from  Lady  Kriem- 
hild !  He  became  acquaint  with  grief.  "  Woe  worth 
this  courtly  feasting,"  spake  the  noble  king.  "  Through 
pastime  will  nevermore  hap  to  king  or  to  his  kinsmen, 
what  here  hath  happed  to  us.  Men  shall  see  us  never- 
more in  Burgundy." 

Then  Siegfried's  men  spake  openly :  "  A  journey 
to  this  land  might  still  take  place,  if  we  discovered 
aright  him  who  slew  our  lord.  Enow  of  his  kinsmen 
be  their  deadly  foes." 

He  kissed  Kriemhild ;  how  sorrowfully  he  spake, 
when  he  perceived  aright  that  she  would  stay :  "  Now 


148  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

let  us  ride  joyless  home  unto  our  land,  now  first  do  I 
feel  all  my  sorrow." 

Down  to  the  Rhine  from  Worms  they  rode  with- 
out an  escort.  They  were  surely  of  the  mind  that 
they,  the  bold  Nibelungs,  could  well  defend  them, 
should  they  be  encountered  in  hostile  wise.  Leave 
they  asked  of  none,  but  Gemot  and  Giselher  were 
seen  to  go  to  Siegmund  in  loving  wise.  These  brave 
and  lusty  knights  convinced  him  that  they  mourned 
his  loss.  Courteously  Prince  Gemot  spake :  "  God  in 
heaven  knoweth  well  that  I  be  not  to  blame  for  Sieg- 
fried's death,  nor  heard  I  ever  that  any  was  his  foe.  I 
mourn  him  justly." 

Giselher,  the  youth,  gave  them  then  safe-conduct. 
Sorrowly  he  led  them  from  the  land  home  to  Nether- 
land.  How  few  kinsmen  were  found  joyous  there ! 

How  they  now  fared  at  Worms  I  cannot  tell.  All 
time  men  heard  Kriemhild  mourn,  so  that  none  might 
comfort  her  heart  nor  mind,  save  Giselher  alone ;  loyal 
he  was  and  good.  Brunhild,  the  fair,  sate  in  overween- 
ing pride.  How  Kriemhild  wept,  she  recked  not,  nor 
did  she  ever  show  her  love  or  troth.  Lady  Kriemhild 
wrought  her  in  after  days  the  bitterest  woe  of  heart. 


ADVENTURE   XIX 

HOW  THE  NIBELUNG  HOARD  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  WORMS 

When  the  noble  Kriemhild  thus  was  widowed,  the 
Margrave  Eckewart  with  his  vassals  stayed  with  her 
in  the  land,  and  served  her  alway.  He  also  often 
helped  his  mistress  mourn  his  lord.  At  Worms,  hard 
by  the  minster,  they  built  for  her  a  dwelling,  broad 
and  passing  large,  costly  and  great,  where,  with  her 
maids,  she  since  dwelt  joyless.  She  liked  for  to  go  to 
church  and  did  this  willingly.  Where  her  love  lay 
buried,  thither  she  went  all  time  in  mournful  mood 
(how  seldom  she  gave  that  over).  She  prayed  the  good 
God  to  have  mercy  on  her  soul.  With  great  fidelity 
she  bewept  the  knight  full  oft.  Uta  and  her  meiny 
comforted  her  all  time,  but  so  sorely  wounded  was  her 
heart,  that  it  booted  naught,  whatever  comfort  men 
did  offer  her.  She  had  the  greatest  longing  for  her 
dear  love,  that  ever  wife  did  have  for  loving  hus- 
band. One  might  see  thereby  her  passing  virtue ; 
until  her  end  she  mourned,  the  while  life  lasted.  In 
after  days  brave  Siegfried's  wife  avenged  herself  with 
might. 

Thus  she  dwelt  after  her  sorrow,  after  her  husband's 
death,  and  this  is  true,  well  three  and  one  half  years, 
that  she  spake  no  word  to  Gunther,  nor  did  she  see 
her  foeman  Hagen  in  all  this  time. 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg:  "  If  ye  could  com- 
pass it  to  make  your  sister  friendly,  then  might  come 


150  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

to  these  lands  the  gold  of  Nibelung.  Of  this  might  ye 
win  great  store,  an'  the  queen  would  be  our  friend." 

The  king  made  answer :  "  Let  us  try.  My  brothers 
bide  with  her ;  we  will  beg  them  to  bring  it  to  pass 
that  she  be  our  friend,  if  perchance  she  might  gladly 
see  us  win  the  hoard." 

"  I  trow  not,"  spake  Hagen,  "that  it  will  ever  hap." 

Then  he  bade  Ortwin  and  the  Margrave  Gere  go  to 
court.  When  that  was  done,  Gemot  and  Giselher,  the 
youth,  were  also  brought.  They  tried,  it  with  the  Lady 
Kriemhild  in  friendly  wise.  Brave  Gemot  of  Burgundy 
spake :  "  Lady,  ye  mourn  too  long  for  Siegfried's  death. 
The  king  will  give  you  proof  that  he  hath  not  slain 
him.  We  hear  you  mourn  all  time  so  greatly." 

She  spake  :  "  None  chargeth  him  with  this.  'T  was 
Hagen's  hand  that  struck  him,  where  he  could  be 
wounded.  When  he  learned  this  of  me,  how  could  I 
think  that  he  did  bear  him  hate  ?  Else  had  I  guarded 
against  this  full  well,"  spake  the  queen,  "  so  that  I 
had  not  betrayed  his  life  ;  then  would  I,  poor  wife, 
leave  off  my  weeping.  I  '11  never  be  a  friend  of  him 
that  did  the  deed."  Then  Giselher,  the  full  stately  man, 
began  implore. 

When  at  last  she  spake :  "  I  will  greet  the  king," 
men  saw  him  stand  before  her  with  his  nearest  kin, 
but  Hag-en  durst  not  come  before  her.  Well  he  wot 
his  guilt ;  't  was  he  had  caused  her  dole.  When  now 
she  would  forego  her  hate  of  Gunther,  so  that  he 
might  kiss  her,  it  had  befitted  him  better  had  she  not 
been  wronged  by  his  advice  ;  then  might  he  have  gone 
boldly  unto  Kriemhild.  Nevermore  was  peace  between 
kindred  brought  to  pass  with  so  many  tears  ;  her  loss 


HOW  THE  HOARD  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  WORMS     151 

still  gave  her  woe.  All,  save  the  one  man  alone,  she 
pardoned.  None  had  slain  him,  had  not  Hagen  done 
the  deed. 

Not  long  thereafter  they  brought  it  to  pass  that 
Lady  Kriemhild  gained  the  hoard  from  the  Nibelung 
land  and  brought  it  to  the  Rhine.  It  was  her  marriage 
morning  gift J  and  was  hers  by  right.  Giselher  and 
Gemot  rode  to  fetch  it.  Kriemhild  ordered  eighty  hun- 
dred men,  that  they  should  bring  it  from  where  it  lay 
hid,  where  it  was  guarded  by  the  knight  Alberich  2  and 
his  nearest  kin.  When  they  saw  those  from  the  Rhine 
coming  for  the  hoard,  Alberich,  the  bold,  spake  to  his 
friends :  "  Naught  of  the  treasure  dare  we  withhold 
from  her,  sith  the  noble  queen  averreth  it  to  be  her 
marriage  morning  gift.  Yet  should  this  never  be  done," 
quoth  Alberich.  "  but  that  with  Siegfried  we  have  foully 
lost  the  good  Cloud  Cloak,  for  fair  Kriemhild's  love 
did  wear  it  alway.  Now,  alas,  it  hath  fared  ill  with 
Siegfried,  that  the  hero  bereft  us  of  the  Cloud  Cloak 
and  that  all  this  land  did  have  to  serve  him." 

Then  went  the  warder  to  where  he  found  the  keys. 
Before  the  castle  stood  Kriemhild's  liegemen  and  a 
deal  of  her  kinsfolk.  Men  bade  carry  the  treasure 
hence  to  the  sea,  down  to  the  boats  ;  one  bare  it  then 
upon  the  waves  to  the  mountains  on  the  Rhine.  Now 
may  ye  hear  marvels  of  the  hoard,  the  which  twelve 
huge  wains,  packed  full,  were  just  able  to  bear  away 
from  the  hill  in  four  days  and  nights  and  each  must 
make  the  trip  three  times  a  day.  There  was  naught  else 
but  gems  and  gold,  and  had  men  paid  therewith  the 
wage  <>f  all  the  world,  not  a  mark  less  had  it  been  in 
worth.   Forsooth   Hagen  did  not  crave  it  so  without 


152  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

good  cause.  The  greatest  prize  of  all  was  a  wishing- 
rod  1  of  gold.  He  who  knew  its  nature,  might  well  be 
master  over  any  man  in  all  the  world. 

Many  of  Alberich's  kinsmen  journeyed  with  Gemot 
hence.  When  they  stored  away  the  hoard  in  Gun- 
ther's  land  and  the  queen  took  charge  of  everything, 
chambers  and  towers  were  filled  therewith.  Never  did 
men  hear  tales  told  of  such  wondrous  store  of  goods. 
And  had  it  been  a  thousand  times  as  much,  if  the 
Lord  Siegfried  were  but  alive  again,  Kriemhild  would 
fain  have  stood  empty-handed  at  his  side.  No  more 
faithful  wife  did  hero  ever  win.  Now  that  she  had  the 
hoard,  she  brought  many  unknown  warriors  to  the 
land.  In  truth  the  lady's  hand  gave  in  such  wise  that 
men  have  never  seen  such  bounty  more.  She  used  great 
courtesie  ;  men  owned  this  of  the  queen.  To  the  rich 
and  the  poor  she  began  to  give  so  greatly  that  Hagen 
said,  should  she  live  yet  a  while,  she  would  gain  so 
many  a  man  for  her  service  that  they  would  fare  full 
ill. 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  Her  life  and  her  goods 
be  hers.  How  shall  I  hinder  that  she  do  with  them  as 
she  will  ?  Forsooth  I  hardly  compassed  it,  that  she  be- 
came thus  much  my  friend.  Let  us  not  reck  to  whom 
she  deal  out  her  silver  and  her  gold." 

Spake  Hagen  to  the  king:  "  No  doughty  man  should 
leave  to  any  wrife  aught  of  the  hoard.  With  her  gifts 
she  '11  bring  about  the  day  when  it  well  may  rue  the 
brave  Burgundians  sore." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther :  "  I  swore  an  oath,  that 
nevermore  would  I  do  her  harm,  and  will  keep  it 
further,  for  she  is  my  sister." 


HOW  THE  HOARD  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  WORMS     153 

Spake  then  Hagen :  "  Let  me  be  the  guilty  one." 

Few  of  their  oaths  were  kept.  From  the  widow 
they  took  the  mighty  store  and  Hagen  made  him  master 
of  all  the  keys.  This  vexed  her  brother  Gemot,  when 
he  heard  the  tale  aright.  Lord  Giselher  spake  :  "  Hagen 
hath  done  ray  sister  much  of  harm  ;  I  should  prevent 
it.  It  would  cost  him  his  life,  were  he  not  ray  kin." 

Siegfried's  wife  shed  tears  anew.  Then  spake  the 
Lord  Gemot :  "  Or  ever  we  be  imperiled  by  the  gold, 
we  should  have  it  sunk  entirely  in  the  Rhine,  that  it 
belong  to  none." 

Full  pitifully  she  went  before  her  brother  Giselher. 
She  spake :  "  Dear  brother,  thou  shouldst  think  of  me 
and  be  the  guardian  of  both  my  life  and  goods." 

Quoth  he  then  to  the  lady:  "That  shall  be  done 
when  we  return  again,  for  now  we  think  to  ride." 

The  kin"-  and  his  kindred  voided  then  the  land,  the 
very  best  among  them  that  one  might  find.  Only 
Hagen  alone  remained  at  home,  through  the  hatred  he 
bare  to  Kriemhild,  and  did  so  willingly.  Before  the 
king  was  come  again,  Hagen  had  taken  the  treasure 
quite  and  sunk  it  all  at  Loche  x  in  the  Rhine.  He 
weened  to  use  it,  but  that  might  not  be.  The  lordings 
came  again  and  with  them  many  men.  With  her  maids 
and  ladies  Kriemhild  gan  bewail  her  passing  loss,  for 
sore  it  grieved  them.  Gladly  would  Giselher  have 
helped  in  all  good  faith.  All  spake  alike :  "  He  hath 
done  wrong." 

Hagen  avoided  the  princes'  wrath,  until  he  gained 
their  favor.  They  did  him  naught,  but  Kriemhild  might 
never  have  borne  him  greater  hate.  Before  Hagen  of 
Troneg  thus  hid  the  treasure,  they  had  sworn  with 


154  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

mighty  oaths  that  it  should  lie  concealed  as  long  as 
any  one  of  them  might  live.  Later  they  could  not  give 
it  to  themselves  or  any  other. 

Kriemhild's  mind  was  heavy  with  fresh  sorrow  over 
her  husband's  end,  and  because  they  had  taken  from 
her  all  her  wealth.  Her  plaints  ceased  not  in  all  her 
life,  down  to  her  latest  day.  After  Siegfried's  death, 
and  this  is  true,  she  dwelt  with  many  a  grief  full  thir- 
teen years,  that  she  could  not  forget  the  warrior's 
death.  She  was  true  to  him,  as  most  folk  owned. 


ADVENTURE  XX 

HOW  KING  ETZEL1  SENT  TO  BURGUNDY  FOR  KRIEMHILD 

That  was  in  a  time  when  Lady  Helca  2  died  and  the 
King-  Etzel  sought  another  wife,  that  his  friends  advised 
his  marriage  to  a  proud  widow  in  the  Burgundian  land, 
bight  Lady  Kriemhild.  Since  fair  Helca  was  dead, 
they  spake  :  "  Would  ye  gain  a  noble  wife,  the  highest 
and  the  best  king  ever  won,  then  take  this  same  lady ; 
the  stalwart  Siegfried  was  her  husband." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king :  "  How  might  that 
chance,  sith  I  am  a  heathen  and  be  christened  not  a 
whit,  whereas  the  lady  is  a  Christian  and  therefore 
would  not  plight  her  troth  ?  It  would  be  a  marvel,  and 
that  ever  happed." 

The  doughty  warriors  answered  :  "  What  if  she  do 
it,  perchance,  for  the  sake  of  your  high  name  and  your 
mickle  goods  ?  One  should  at  least  make  a  trial  for  the 
noble  dame.   Well  may  ye  love  the  stately  fair." 

The  noble  king  then  spake  :  "  Which  of  you 
be  acquaint  with  the  people  and  the  land  by  the 
Rhine  ?  " 

Up  spake  then  the  good  knight  Riideger  of  Bechela- 
ren : 3  "  I  have  known  from  a  child  the  three  noble  and 
lordly  kings,  Gunther  and  Gemot,  the  noble  knights  and 
good  ;  the  third  hight  Giselher.  Each  of  them  doth  use 
the  highest  honors  and  courtesie,  as  their  forebears,  too, 
have  always  done." 

Then  answered  Etzel :  "  Friend,  I  prithee,  tell  me 


156  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

whether  she  should  wear  the  crown  in  this  my  land. 
An'  she  be  so  fair,  as  hath  been  told  me,  it  shall  never 
rue  my  dearest  kin." 

"  She  compareth  well  in  beauty  with  my  Lady  Helca, 
the  royal  queen.  Certes,  there  might  not  be  in  all  this 
world  a  king's  bride  more  fair.  He  may  well  be  of  good 
cheer  to  whom  she  plight  her  troth." 

He  spake :  "  So  bring  it  to  pass,  Riideger,  as  I  be 
dear  to  thee ;  and  if  ever  I  do  lie  at  Kriemhild's  side, 
I  will  requite  thee  for  it  as  best  I  may.  Then  hast  thou 
done  my  will  in  fullest  wise.  From  my  treasure  cham- 
bers I  will  bid  thee  be  given  such  store  of  horses,  of 
clothes  and  all  thou  wilt,  that  thou  and  thy  fellowship 
may  live  full  merrily.  I  '11  bid  full  plenty  of  these  things 
be  made  ready  against  thine  errand." 

To  this  the  lordly  margrave  Riideger  replied : 
"  Craved  I  thy  goods,  that  were  not  worthy  of  praise. 
With  mine  own  goods,  which  I  have  from  thy  hands, 
will  I  gladly  be  thy  envoy  to  the  Rhine." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king  :  "  Now  when  wilt  thou 
ride  for  the  fair  ?  May  God  keep  thee  and  my  lady  in 
all  worship  on  the  journey.  May  fortune  help  me,  that 
she  look  with  favor  on  my  suit." 

Riideger  made  answer :  "  Ere  we  void  the  land,  we 
must  first  make  ready  arms  and  trappings,  that  we  may 
stand  with  honor  before  princes.  I  will  lead  to  the 
Rhine  five  hundred  stately  men,  that  wherever  in 
Burgundy  I  and  mine  be  seen,  all  may  say  of  thee: 
'  Never  did  any  king  send  afar  so  many  men  in  better 
wise  than  thou  hast  done  to  the  Rhine.'  If  thou,  O 
mighty  king,  wilt  not  turn  back  on  this  account,  I  '11 
tell  thee  that  her  noble  love  was  subject  unto  Siegfried, 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     157 

SiegmuncTs  son.  Him  thou  hast  seen  here.1  Men  could 
in  right  truth  ascribe  to  him  great  worship." 

Then  spake  King  Etzel :  "  Tho'  she  was  the  warrior's 
wife,  yet  was  the  noble  prince  so  peerless  that  I  should 
not  disdain  the  queen.  She  liketh  me  well  for  her  pass- 
ing beauty." 

The  margrave  answered  :  "  Then  I  will  tell  thee  that 
we  will  start  hence  in  four  and  twenty  days.  I  '11  send 
word  to  Gotelind,  my  dear  lady,  that  I  myself  will  be 
the  messenger  to  Kriemhild." 

Riideger  sent  word  to  Bechelaren,  at  which  the  mar- 
gravine grew  both  sorrowful  and  proud.  He  told  her  he 
should  woo  for  the  king  a  wife.  Lovingly  she  thought 
on  Helca,  the  fair.  When  the  margravine  heard  the 
message,  a  deal  she  rued  it ;  weeping  beseemed  her  at 
the  thought,  whether  she  should  gain  a  lady  as  afore. 
When  she  thought  on  Helca,  it  grieved  her  heart  full 
sore. 

Riideger  should  ride  in  seven  days  from  Hungary ; 
lusty  and  merry  King  Etzel  was  at  this.  There  in  the 
town  of  Vienna  men  prepared  their  weeds.  Then  might 
he  no  longer  delay  his  journey.  At  Bechelaren  Gotelind 
awaited  him  ;  the  young  margravine,  too,  Rudeger's 
child,  gladly  saw  her  father  and  his  men.  Many  fair 
maids  awaited  them  with  joy.  Ere  the  noble  Riideger 
rode  from  the  city  of  Vienna  to  Bechelaren,  all  their 
clothes  were  placed  upon  the  sumptcrs.  They  journeyed 
in  such  wise  that  not  a  whit  was  taken  from  them. 

When  they  were  come  to  the  town  of  Bechelaren, 
the  host  full  lovingly  bade  lodge  his  fellowship  and  ease 
them  well.  The  noble  Gotelind  saw  the  host  come 
gladly,  as  likewise  his  dear  daughter  did,  the  young 


158  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

margravine.  To  her  his  coming  could  not  be  liefer.  How 
fain  she  was  to  see  the  heroes  from  the  Hunnish  land  ! 
With  smiling  mien  the  noble  maiden  spake  :  "  Now  be 
my  father  and  his  men  full  welcome  here." 

Then  great  thanks  were  given  to  the  young  margra- 
vine by  many  a  doughty  knight  in  courteous  wise. 
Well  wot  Gotelind  Sir  Riideger's  mood.  When  at  night 
she  lay  close  by  his  side,  what  kindly  questions  the 
margravine  put,  whither  the  king  of  the  Huns  had  sent 
him.  He  spake :  "  My  Lady  Gotelind,  I  '11  gladly  make 
this  known  to  thee.  I  must  woo  another  lady  for  my 
lord,  sith  that  the  fair  Helca  hath  died.  I  will  ride  for 
Kriemhild  to  the  Rhine  ;  she  shall  become  a  mighty 
queen  here  among  the  Huns." 

"  Would  to  God,"  spake  Gotelind,  "  an'  that  might 
hap,  sith  we  do  hear  such  speech  of  her  many  honors, 
that  she  might  perchance  replace  our  lady  for  us  in 
our  old  age,  and  that  we  might  be  fain  to  let  her  wear 
the  crown  in  Hungary." 

Then  spake  the  margrave :  "  My  love,  ye  must  offer 
to  those  who  are  to  ride  with  me  to  the  Rhine,  your 
goods  in  loving  wise.  When  heroes  travel  richly,  then 
are  they  of  lofty  mood." 

She  spake  :  "  There  be  none  that  taketh  gladly  from 
my  hand,  to  whom  I  would  not  give  what  well  be- 
seemeth  him,  or  ever  ye  and  your  men  part  hence." 

Quoth  the  margrave  :  "  That  doth  like  me  well." 

Ho,  what  rich  cloths  of  silk  were  borne  from  their 
treasure  chambers !  With  enow  of  this  the  clothing:  of 
the  noble  warriors  was  busily  lined  from  the  neck 
down  to  their  spurs.  Riideger  had  chosen  only  men 
that  pleased  him  well. 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     159 

On  the  seventh  morning  the  host  and  his  warriors 
rode  forth  from  Bechelaren.  Weapons  and  clothes  a 
plenty  they  took  with  them  through  the  Bavarian  land. 
Seldom  did  men  assail  them  on  the  highways  for  rob- 
bery's sake,  and  within  twelve  days  they  reached  the 
Rhine.  Then  might  the  tidings  not  be  hid  ;  men  told  it 
to  the  king  and  to  his  liegemen,  that  stranger  guests 
were  come.  The  host  gan  say,  if  any  knew  them,  he 
should  tell  him  so.  One  saw  their  sumpters  bear  right 
heavy  loads.  'T  was  seen  that  they  were  passing  rich. 

Anon  in  the  broad  town  men  purveyed  them  quarters. 
When  that  the  many  strangers  had  been  lodged,  these 
same  lords  were  gazed  upon  full  oft.  The  people  won- 
dered from  whence  these  warriors  were  come  to  the 
Rhine.  The  host  now  sent  for  Hagen,  if  perchance 
they  might  be  known  to  him.  Then  spake  the  knight  of 
Troneg :  "  None  of  them  have  I  ever  seen,  but  when 
we  now  gaze  upon  them,  I  can  tell  you  well  from 
whence  they  ride  hither  to  this  land.  They  must  in- 
deed be  strangers,  an'  I  know  them  not  full  soon."  l 

Lodgings  were  now  taken  for  the  guests.  The  envoy 
and  his  fellowship  were  come  in  passing  costly  vesture. 
To  the  court  they  rode  wearing  good  garments,  cut  in 
full  cunning  wise.  Then  spake  the  doughty  Hagen : 
"  As  well  as  I  can  tell,  for  I  have  not  seen  the  lord 
long  time,  they  ride  as  if  't  were  Riideger  from  the 
Hunnish  land,  a  lordly  knight  and  a  brave." 

"  How  can  I  believe,"  spake  at  once  the  king, 
"that  the  lord  of  Bechelaren  be  come  to  this  land  ?  " 

When  King  Gunther  had  ended  his  speech,  Hagen, 
the  brave,  espied  the  good  knight  Riideger.  He  and 
his  friends  all  ran  to  meet  them.    Then    live  hundred 


160  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

knights  were  seen  dismounting  from  their  steeds.  Fair 
were  the  men  from  Hungary  greeted  ;  messengers  had 
never  worn  such  lordly  clothes.  Then  Hagen  of  Troneg 
spake  full  loudly  :  "  Now  be  these  knights,  the  lord 
of  Bechelaren  and  all  his  men,  welcome  in  God's 
name." 

With  worship  the  speedy  knights  were  greeted. 
The  next  of  kin  to  the  kino-  went  to  where  thev  stood. 
Ortwin  of  Metz  spake  to  Riideger :  "  Never  have  we 
seen  guests  so  gladly  here  at  any  time.  This  I  can 
truly  say." 

On  all  sides  they  thanked  the  warriors  for  their 
greeting.  With  all  their  fellowship  they  hied  them  to 
the  hall,  where  they  found  the  king  and  with  him  many 
a  valiant  man.  The  lords  rose  from  their  seats ; 
through  their  great  chivalry  this  was  done.  How  right 
courteously  he  met  the  messengers  !  Gunther  and  Ger- 
not  greeted  the  stranger  and  his  vassals  warmly,  as 
was  his  due.  He  took  the  good  knight  Riideger  by  the 
hand  and  led  him  to  the  seat  where  he  sat  himself. 
Men  bade  pour  out  for  the  guests  (full  gladly  this  was 
done)  passing  good  mead  and  the  best  of  wine  that 
one  might  find  in  the  land  along  the  Rhine.  Giselher 
and  Gere  both  were  come  ;  Dankwart  and  Folker,  too, 
had  heard  about  the  strangers.  Merry  they  were  of 
mood  and  greeted  before  the  king  the  noble  knights 
and  good. 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg  to  his  lord  :  "  These 
thy  knights  should  ever  requite  what  the  margrave  for 
our  sake  hath  done ;  for  this  should  the  husband  of  fair 
Gotelind  receive  reward." 

King  Gunther  spake  :  "  I  cannot  hold  my  peace ;  ye 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILU     161 

must  tell  me  how  fare  Etzel  and  Helca  of  the  Hunnish 
land." 

To  this  the  margrave  now  made  answer :  "  I  '11 
gladly  let  you  know."  He  rose  from  his  seat  with  all 
his  men  and  spake  to  the  king :  "  An'  may  that  be  that 
ye  permit  me,  O  prince,  so  will  I  not  conceal  the  tid- 
ings that  I  bring,  but  will  tell  them  willingly." 

Quoth  the  king:  "The  tidings  that  have  been  sent 
us  through  you,  these  I  '11  let  you  tell  without  the  rede 
of  friends.  Pray  let  me  and  my  vassals  hear  them,  for 
I  begrudge  you  no  honor  that  ye  here  may  gain." 

Then  spake  the  worthy  envoy  :  "  My  great  master 
doth  commend  to  you  upon  the  Rhine  his  faithful  ser- 
vice and  to  all  the  kinsmen  ye  may  have.  This  message 
is  sent  in  all  good  faith.  The  noble  king  bade  complain 
to  you  his  need.  His  folk  is  joyless  ;  my  lady,  the  royal 
Helca,  my  master's  wife,  is  dead.  Through  her  hath 
many  a  high-born  maid  been  orphaned,  daughters  of 
noble  princes,  whom  she  hath  trained.  Therefore  it 
standeth  full  piteously  in  his  land  ;  they  have  alas  none 
that  might  befriend  them  faithfully.  The  king's  grief, 
I  ween,  will  abate  but  slowly." 

"  Now  God  reward  him,"  spake  Gunther,  "  that 
he  so  willingly  commendeth  his  service  to  me  and  to 
my  kin.  Full  gladly  have  I  here  heard  his  greeting, 
and  this  both  my  kindred  and  my  men  shall  fain 
requite." 

Then  spake  the  warrior  Gemot  of  Burgundy  :  "  The 
world  must  ever  rue  fair  Helca's  death,  for  her  many 
courtesies,  which  she  well  knew  how  to  use." 

With  this  speech  Ilagen,  the  passing  stately  knight, 
agreed. 


162  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  answered  Rudeger,  the  noble  and  lordly  envoy : 
"  Sith  ye  permit  me,  O  king,  I  shall  tell  you  more,  the 
which  my  dear  lord  hath  hither  sent  you,  sith  he 
doth  live  so  right  sorrowfully  in  longing  after  Helca. 
Men  told  my  lord  that  Kriemhild  be  without  a  hus- 
band, that  Sir  Siegfried  be  dead.  If  this  be .  so,  then 
shall  she  wear  a  crown  before  Etzel's  knights,  would 
ye  but  permit  her.  This  my  sovran  bade  me  say." 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king,  full  courteous  was  his 
mood:  "And  she  care  to  do  this,  she  shall  hear  my 
pleasure.  This  will  I  make  known  to  you  in  these  three 
days.  Why  should  I  refuse  King  Etzel  before  I  've 
learned  her  wish  ?" 

Meanwhile  men  bade  purvey  good  easement  for  the 
guests.  They  were  served  so  well  that  Rudeger  owned 
he  had  good  friends  there  among  Gunther's  men. 
Hagen  served  him  gladly,  as  Rudeger  had  done  to  him 
of  yore.  Till  the  third  day  Rudeger  thus  remained. 
The  king  sent  for  his  counsel  (full  wisely  he  acted)  to 
see  whether  his  kinsmen  would  think  it  well  that 
Kriemhild  take  King  Etzel  to  husband.  All  together 
they  advised  it,  save  Hagen  alone.  He  spake  to 
Gunther,  the  knight :  "  Have  ye  but  the  right  wit,  ye 
will  take  good  care  that  ye  never  do  this,  tho'  she 
were  fain  to  follow." 

"Why,"  spake  then  Gunther,  "should  I  not  con- 
sent? Whatever  pleasure  happen  to  the  queen,  I 
should  surely  grant  her  this,  she  is  my  sister.  We  our- 
selves should  bring  it  to  pass,  if  perchance  it  might 
bring  her  honor." 

Then  answered  Hagen:  "Give  over  this  speech. 
Had  ye  knowledge  of  Etzel  as  have  I,  and  should  she 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     163 

marry  him,  as  I  hear  you  say,  then  first  hath  danger 
happed  to  you  by  right." 

"  Why?  "  quoth  Gunther.  "  1 11  take  good  care  that 
I  come  not  so  near  him  that  I  must  suffer  aujrht  of 
hatred  on  his  part,  an'  she  become  his  wife." 

Said  Hagen :  "  Never  will  I  give  you  this  advice." 

For  Gemot  and  Giselher  men  bade  send  to  learn 
whether  the  two  lords  would  think  it  well  that  Kriem- 
hild  should  take  the  mighty  and  noble  king.  Hagen 
still  gainsaid,  but  no  one  other.  Then  spake  the  knight 
Giselher  of  Burgundy :  "  Friend  Hagen,  ye  may  still 
show  your  fealty.  Make  her  to  forget  the  wrongs  that 
ye  have  done  her.  Whatever  good  fortune  she  may 
have,  this  ye  should  not  oppose.  Ye  have  in  truth 
done  my  sister  so  many  an  ill,"  continued  Giselher,  the 
full  lusty  knight,  "  that  she  hath  good  cause,  if  she 
be  angry  with  you.  Never  hath  one  bereft  a  lady  of 
greater  joys." 

Quoth  Hagen :  "  I  '11  do  you  to  wit  what  well  I 
know.  If  she  take  Etzel  and  live  long  enow,  she  '11 
do  us  still  much  harm  in  whatever  way  she  can.  For- 
sooth full  many  a  stately  vassal  will  own  her  service." 

To  this  brave  Gemot  answered :  "  It  may  not 
happen,  that  we  ever  ride  to  Etzel's  land  before  they 
both  be  dead.  Let  us  serve  her  faithfully,  that  maketh 
for  our  honor." 

Again  Hagen  spake:  "None  can  gainsay  me,  an' 
the  noble  Kriemhild  wear  the  crown  of  Ilelca,  she 
will  do  us  harm,  as  best  she  may.  Ye  should  give  it 
over,  't  would  beseem  you  knights  far  better." 

Wrathfully  then  spake  Giselher,  fair  Uta's  son  : 
"  Let  us  not  all  act  as  traitors.  We  should  be  glad  of 


164  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

whatever  honors  may  be  done  her.  Whatever  ye  may 
say,  Hagen,  I  shall  serve  her  by  my  troth." 

Gloomy  of  mood  grew  Hagen  when  he  heard  these 
words.  Gemot  and  Giselher,  the  proud  knights  and 
good,  and  Gunther,  the  mighty,  spake  at  last,  if 
Kriemhild  wished  it,  they  would  let  it  hap  without  all 
hate. 

Then  spake  Prince  Gere  :  "  I  will  tell  the  lady  that 
she  look  with  favor  upon  King  Etzel,  to  whom  so 
many  knights  owe  dread  obedience.  He  can  well  re- 
quite her  of  all  the  wrongs  that  have  been  done  her." 

Then  the  doughty  warrior  hied  him  to  where  he  saw 
Kriemhild.  Kindly  she  received  him.  How  quickly 
then  he  spake :  "  Ye  may  well  greet  me  gladly  and 
give  me  a  messenger's  meed.  Fortune  is  about  to  part 
you  from  all  your  woes.  For  the  sake  of  your  love, 
my  lady,  one  of  the  very  best  that  ever  gained  a  king- 
dom with  great  honors,  or  should  wear  a  crown,  hath 
sent  envoys  hither.  Noble  knights  be  wooing;  this 
my  brother  bade  me  tell  }Tou." 

Then  spake  the  sorrow-laden  dame:  "God  should 
forbid  you  and  all  my  kinsmen  that  ye  make  a  mock 
of  me,  poor  woman.  What  could  I  be  to  a  man  who 
had  ever  gained  heartfelt  love  from  a  faithful  wife  ?  " 

Sorely  she  gainsaid  it,  but  then  came  Gemot,  her 
brother,  and  Giselher,  the  youth,  and  lovingly  bade 
her  ease  her  heart.  It  would  do  her  good  in  truth, 
could  she  but  take  the  king. 

None  might  persuade  the  lady  that  she  should 
marry  any  man.  Then  the  knights  begged:  "  If  ye  do 
naught  else,  pray  let  it  hap  that  ye  deign  to  see  the 
messengers." 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     165 

"I  '11  not  deny,"  spake  the  noble  dame,  "  but  that 
I  should  gladly  see  the  Margrave  Riideger  for  his 
passing  courtesie.  Were  he  not  sent  hither,  whoever 
else  might  be  the  messenger,  never  should  he  become 
acquainted  with  me.  Pray  bid  him  come  to-morrow  to 
my  bower.  I  '11  let  him  hear  my  will  in  full  and  tell  it 
him  myself."  At  this  her  great  laments  brake  forth 
anew. 

The  noble  Riideger  now  craved  naught  else  but 
that  he  might  see  the  high-born  queen.  He  wist  him- 
self to  be  so  wise  that  she  could  not  but  let  the  knight 
persuade  her,  if  it  should  ever  be.  Early  on  the  mor- 
row when  mass  was  sung,  the  noble  envoys  came.  A 
great  press  arose  ;  of  those  who  should  go  to  court 
with  Riideger,  many  a  lordly  man  was  seen  arrayed. 
Full  sad  of  mood,  the  high-born  Kriemhild  bided  the 
noble  envoy  and  good.  He  found  her  in  the  weeds 
she  wore  each  day,  whereas  her  handmaids  wore  rich 
clothes  enow.  She  went  to  meet  him  to  the  door  and 
greeted  fidl  kindly  Etzel's  liegeman.  Only  as  one  of 
twelve  he  went  to  meet  her.  Men  offered  him  great 
worship,  for  never  were  come  more  lofty  envoys.  They 
bade  the  lording  and  his  vassals  seat  them.  Before 
her  were  seen  to  stand  the  two  Margraves  Eckewart 
and  Gere,  the  noble  knights  and  good.  None  they 
saw  merry  of  mood,  for  the  sake  of  the  lady  of  the 
house.  Many  fair  women  were  seen  to  sit  before  her, 
but  Kriemhild  only  nursed  her  grief;  her  dress  upon 
her  breast  was  wet  with  scalding  tears.  This  the  noble 
margrave  noted  well  on  Kriemhild. 

Then  spake  the  high-born  messenger  :  *k  Most  noble 
princess,  1  pray  you,  permit  me  and  my  comrades  that 


166  THE   NIBELUXGENLIED 

are  come  with  me,  to  stand  before  you  and  tell  you 
the  tidings  for  the  sake  of  which  we  have  ridden 
hither." 

"  Now  may  ye  speak  whatso  ye  list,"  spake  the 
queen.  "  I  am  minded  to  hear  it  gladly ;  ye  be  a 
worthy  messenger." 

The  others  noted  well  her  unwilling  mood. 

Then  spake  Prince  Riicleger  of  Bechelaren  :  "  Etzel, 
a  high-born  king,  hath  in  good  faith  sent  you  a  friendly 
greeting,  my  lady,  by  messengers  hither  to  this  land. 
Many  good  knights  hath  he  sent  hither  for  your  love. 
Great  joy  without  grief  he  doth  offer  you  most  truly. 
He  is  ready  to  give  you  constant  friendship,  as  he  did 
afore  to  Lady  Helca,  who  lay  within  his  heart.  Certes, 
through  longing  for  her  virtues  he  hath  full  often  joy- 
less days." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  Margrave  Riideger,  were 
there  any  who  knew  my  bitter  sorrow,  he  woidd  not 
bid  me  marry  any  man.  Of  a  truth  I  lost  the  best  of 
husbands  that  ever  lady  won." 

"  What  may  comfort  grief,"  the  bold  knight  replied, 
"but  married  joy.  When  that  any  gan  gain  this  and 
chooseth  one  who  doth  beseem  him,  naught  availeth  so 
greatly  for  woe  of  heart.  And  ye  care  to  love  my 
noble  master,  ye  shall  have  power  over  twelve  mighty 
crowns.  Thereto  my  lord  will  give  you  the  lands  of 
thirty  princes,  all  of  which  his  doughty  hand  hath  over- 
come. Ye  shall  become  the  mistress  over  many  worthy 
liegemen,  who  were  subject  to  my  Lady  Helca,  and 
over  many  dames  of  high  and  princely  race,  who 
owned  her  sway."  Thus  spake  the  brave  knight  and 
bold.  "  Thereto  my  lord  will  give  you  (this  he  bade 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     167 

me  say),  if  ye  would  deign  to  wear  with  him  the 
crown,  the  very  highest  power  which  Helca  ever  won ; 
this  shall  ye  rule  before  all  Etzel's  men."' 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  How  might  it  ever  list  me 
to  become  a  hero's  bride  ?  Death  hath  given  me  in 
the  one  such  dole  that  I  must  ever  live  joyless  unto 
mine  end." 

To  this  the  Huns  replied  :  "  O  mighty  queen,  your 
life  at  Etzel's  court  will  be  so  worshipful  that  it  will 
ever  give  you  joy,  an'  it  come  to  pass,  for  the  mighty 
king  hath  many  a  stately  knight.  Helca's  damosels 
and  your  maids  shall  together  form  one  retinue,  at 
sight  of  which  warriors  may  well  be  blithe  of  mood. 
Be  advised,  my  lady,  ye  will  fare  well  in  truth." 

With  courtesie  she  spake  :  "Now  let  be  this  speech 
until  the  morrow  early,  when  ye  shall  come  here 
again.  Then  will  I  give  you  answer  to  what  ye  have 
in  mind. 

The  bold  knights  and  good  must  needs  obey. 

When  all  were  now  come  to  their  lodgings,  the 
noble  dame  bade  send  forGiselher  and  for  her  mother, 
too.  To  the  twain  she  said,  that  weeping  did  beseem 
her  and  naught  else  better. 

Then  spake  her  brother  Giselher  :  "Sister,  it  hath 
been  told  me,  and  I  can  well  believe  it,  that  King 
Etzel  would  make  all  thy  sorrows  vanish,  and  thou 
takest  him  to  be  thy  husband.  Whatever  others  may 
advise,  this  thinketh  me  well  done.  He  is  well  able  to 
turn  thy  grief  to  joy,'"  spake  Giselher  again  ;  "  from  the 
Khone  to  the  Rhine,  from  the  Elbe  down  to  the  sea, 
there  be  no  other  king  as  mighty  as  he.  Thou  mayst 
well  rejoice,  an"  he  make  thee  his  wife." 


168  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

She  spake :  "  My  dear  brother,  why  dost  thou  ad- 
vise me  this  ?  Weeping  and  wailing-  beseem  me  better 
far.  How  should  I  go  to  court  before  his  knights  ? 
Had  I  ever  beauty,  of  this  I  am  now  bereft." 

To  her  dear  daughter  the  Lady  Uta  spake :  "  What- 
ever thy  brothers  counsel  thee,  dear  child,  that  do. 
Obey  thy  kindred  and  it  will  go  well  with  thee.  I 
have  seen  thee  now  too  long  in  thy  great  grief." 

Then  she  prayed  God  full  oft  to  grant  her  such 
store  of  goods  that  she  might  have  gold,  silver,  and 
clothes  to  give,  as  at  her  husband's  side  of  yore, 
when  that  he  was  still  alive  and  well.  Else  would  she 
never  have  again  such  happy  hours.  She  thought 
within  her  mind :  "  And  shall  I  give  my  body  to  a 
paynim  !  (I  am  a  Christian  wife),  forever  in  the  world 
must  I  bear  shame.  An'  he  gave  me  all  the  kingdoms 
in  the  world,  still  I  would  not  do  it." 

Thus  she  let  the  matter  rest.  All  night  until  the 
break  of  day  the  lady  lay  upon  her  bed  in  thought. 
Her  bright  eyes  never  grew  dry,  till  on  the  morn  she 
went  to  matins.  Just  at  the  time  for  mass  the  kings 
were  come  and  took  their  sister  again  in  hand.  In 
truth  they  urged  her  to  wed  the  king  of  the  Hunnish 
land ;  little  did  any  of  them  find  the  lady  merry. 
Then  they  bade  fetch  hither  Etzel's  men,  who  now 
would  fain  have  taken  their  leave,  whatever  the  end 
might  be,  whether  they  gained  or  lost  their  suit. 
Rudeger  came  now  to  court ;  his  heroes  urged  him  to 
learn  aright  the  noble  prince's  mind.  To  all  it  seemed 
well  that  this  be  done  betimes,  for  long  was  the  way 
back  into  their  land.  Men  brought  Riidesrer  to  where 
Kriemhild  was  found.    Winningly  the  knight  gan  beg 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     169 

the  noble  queen  to  let  him  hear  what  message  she 
would  send  to  Etzel's  land.  I  ween,  he  heard  from 
her  naught  else  than  no,  that  she  nevermore  would 
wed  a  man.  The  margrave  spake  :  "  That  were  ill 
done.  Why  would  ye  let  such  beauty  wither  ?  Still 
with  honor  may  ye  become  the  bride  of  a  worthy 
man." 

Naught  booted  that  they  urged,  till  Riideger  told  the 
noble  queen  in  secret  that  he  would  make  amends  for 
all  that  ever  happed  to  her.  At  this  her  great  sor- 
row grew  a  deal  more  mild.  To  the  queen  he  spake : 
"  Let  be  your  weeping.  If  ye  had  none  among  the 
Huns  but  me  and  my  faithful  kin  and  liegemen,  sore 
must  he  repent  it  who  had  ever  done  you  aught." 

At  this  the  lady's  mood  grew  gentler.  She  spake : 
"  Then  swear  me  an  oath,  that  whatever  any  do  to  me 
that  ye  will  be  the  first  to  amend  my  wrongs." 

Quoth  the  margrave :  "  For  this,  my  lady,  I  am 
ready." 

Riideger  with  all  his  vassals  swore  that  he  would 
ever  serve  her  faithfully  and  pledged  his  hand,  that 
the  noble  knights  from  Etzel's  land  would  ne'er  refuse 
her  aught. 

Then  the  faithful  lady  thought :  "  Sith  I,  wretched 
wife,  have  won  so  many  friends,  I  '11  let  the  people  say 
whatso  they  choose.  What  if  my  dear  husband's  death 
might  still  be  avenged  ?  "  She  thought :  "  Sith  Etzel 
hath  so  many  men-at-arms,  I  can  do  whatso  I  will,  an' 
I  command  them.  He  is  likewise  so  rich  that  I  shall 
have  wherewith  to  give ;  the  baleful  Hagen  hath  be- 
reft me  of  my  goods." 

To  Riideger  she  spake  :   "Had  I  not  heard  that  he 


170  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

were  a  paynim,  gladly  would  I  go  whithersoever  he 
listed  and  would  take  him  to  my  husband." 

Then  spake  the  margrave  :  "  Lady,  give  over  this 
speech.  He  hath  so  many  knights  of  Christian  faith^ 
that  ye  '11  ever  be  joyful  at  his  court.  What  if  ye  bring 
it  to  pass,  that  he  should  let  himself  be  christened? 
Therefore  may  ye  fain  become  King  Etzel's  wife." 

Then  her  brothers  spake  again:  "Now  pledge  your 
troth,  dear  sister.  Ye  should  now  give  over  your  sad- 
ness." 

They  begged  her  till  she  sadly  vowed  before  the 
heroes  to  become  King  Etzel's  bride.  She  spake  :  "  I 
will  obey  you,  I  poor  queen,  and  fare  to  the  Huns  as 
soon  as  ever  that  may  be,  whenever  I  have  friends  who 
will  take  me  to  his  land." 

Of  this  fair  Kriemhild  pledged  her  hand  before  the 
knights. 

Then  spake  the  margrave  :  "  If  ye  have  two  liegemen, 
I  have  still  more.  'T  will  be  the  best,  that  with  worship 
we  escort  you  across  the  Rhine.  No  longer,  lady,  shall 
ye  tarry  here  in  Burgundy.  I  have  five  hundred  vas- 
sals and  kinsmen,  too  ;  they  shall  serve  you,  lady,  and 
do  whatso  ye  bid,  both  here  and  there  at  home.  I  '11 
do  by  you  the  same  whenever  ye  do  mind  me  of  the 
tale  and  never  feel  ashamed.  Now  bid  the  housings 
for  your  horses  be  made  ready  (Riideger's  counsel  will 
never  irk  you)  and  tell  it  to  your  maids,  whom  ye 
would  take  along,  for  many  a  chosen  knight  will  meet 
us  on  the  road." 

She  still  had  harness  with  which  they  rode  afore  in 
Siegfried's  time,  so  that  she  might  take  with  her  many 
maidens  now  with  worship,  whenever  she  would  hence. 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     171 

Ho,  what  good  saddles  they  fetched  for  the  comely 
dames !  Albeit  they  had  aye  worn  costly  robes  many 
more  were  now  made  ready,  for  much  had  been  told  them 
of  the  king.  They  opened  up  the  chests,  which  stood, 
afore  well  locked.  For  four  and  one  half  days  they  were 
aught  but  idle  ;  from  the  presses  they  brought  forth 
the  stores  that  lay  therein.  Kriemhild  now  began  to 
open  up  her  treasure  rooms,  she  fain  would  make  all 
Riideger's  liegemen  rich.  Of  the  gold  from  the  Nibe- 
lung  land  she  still  had  such  store  that  a  hundred 
horses  might  not  bear  it ;  she  weened  her  hand  should 
deal  it  out  among  the  Huns. 

This  tale  Hagen  heard  told  of  Kriemhild.  He  spake: 
"  Sith  Kriemhild  will  not  become  my  friend,  so  Sieg- 
fried's gold  must  stay  behind.  For  why  should  I  give 
to  my  foes  such  great  store  of  goods  ?  Well  I  wot 
what  Kriemhild  will  do  with  this  hoard.  I  can  well  be- 
lieve, an'  she  take  it  with  her,  that  it  will  be  doled  out 
to  call  forth  hate  against  me.  Nor  have  they  steeds 
enow  to  bear  it  hence.  Hagen  doth  intend  to  keep  it, 
pray  tell  Kriemhild  that." 

When  that  she  heard  this  tale,  it  irked  her  sore.  It 
was  likewise  told  to  all  three  kings.  Fain  would  they 
have  changed  it,  but  as  this  did  not  hap,  the  noble 
Riideger  spake  full  blithely:  "Mighty  queen,  why 
mourn  ye  for  the  gold  ?  King  Etzel  doth  bear  you 
such  great  love,  that  when  his  eyes  do  light  upon  you, 
such  store  he  '11  give  you  that  ye  can  never  spend  it 
all ;  this  will  I  swear  to  you,  my  lady." 

Then  spake  the  queen :  "  Most  noble  Riideger, 
never  hath  king's  daughter  gained  such  wealth  as  that, 
of  which  Hagen  hath  bereft  ijk '-" " 


172  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Then  came  her  brother  Gemot  to  the  treasure  cham- 
ber. By  leave  of  the  king  in  the  door  he  thrust  the 
key.  Kriemhild's  gold  was  handed  forth,  a  thousand 
marks  or  more.  He  bade  the  strangers  take  it  ;  much 
this  pleased  King  Gunther. 

Then  spake  Gotelind's  knight  from  Bechelaren : 
"  And  had  my  Lady  Kriemhild  all  the  hoard  that  was 
brought  from  the  Nibelung  land,  little  of  it  would 
mine  or  the  queen's  hand  touch.  Now  bid  them  keep 
it,  for  I  will  none  of  it.  Forsooth  I  brought  from  home 
such  store  of  mine  that  we  can  lightly  do  without  this 
on  the  road,  for  we  be  furnished  for  the  journey  in  full 
lordly  wise." 

Afore  this  her  maids  had  filled  twelve  chests  at 
leisure  with  the  very  best  of  gold  that  anywhere  might 
be.  This  they  took  with  them  and  great  stoi-e  of 
women's  trinkets,  which  they  should  wear  upon  the 
road.  Her-thought  too  great  the  might  of  Hagen.  Of 
her  gold  for  offerings  l  she  had  still  a  thousand  marks. 
For  her  dear  husband's  soul  she  dealt  it  out.  This 
Rudeger  thought  was  done  in  faithful  love.  Then  spake 
the  mournful  lady  :  "  Where  be  now  my  friends  who 
for  my  sake  would  live  in  exile  ?  Let  those  who  would 
ride  with  me  to  the  Hunnish  land,  take  now  my  treas- 
ure and  purchase  horses  and  trappings." 

Then  spake  the  margrave  Eckewart  to  the  queen  : 
"  Since  the  day  I  first  became  your  vassal,  I  have  served 
you  faithfully,"  spake  the  knight,  "  and  aye  will  do  the 
same  by  you  until  mine  end.  I  will  take  with  me  also 
five  hundred  of  my  men  and  place  them  in  your  service 
right  loyally.  Naught  shall  ever  part  us,  save  death 
alone." 


HOW  KING  ETZEL  SENT  FOR  KRIEMHILD     173 

For  this  speech  Krieinhild  bowed  her  thanks ;  for- 
sooth she  had  full  need. 

Men  now  led  forth  the  palfreys,  for  they  would  ride 
away.  Then  many  tears  were  shed  by  kinsfolk.  Royal 
Uta  and  many  a  comely  maiden  showed  that  they  were 
sad  at  Kriemhild's  loss.  A  hundred  high-born  maids 
she  took  with  her  hence,  who  were  arrayed  as  well  befit 
them.  Then  from  bright  eyes  the  tears  fell  down,  but 
soon  at  EtzeFs  court  they  lived  to  see  much  joy.  Then 
came  Lord  Giselher  and  Gemot,  too,  with  their  fellow- 
ship, as  their  courtesie  demanded.  Fain  would  they 
escort  their  dear  sister  hence  ;  of  their  knights  they 
took  with  them  full  a  thousand  stately  men.  Then  came 
Ortwin  and  the  doughty  Gere  ;  Rumolt,  the  master  of 
the  kitchen,  must  needs  be  with  them,  too.  They  pur- 
veyed them  night  quarters  as  far  as  the  Danube's  shore, 
but  Gunther  rode  no  further  than  a  little  from  the 
town.  Ere  they  fared  hence  from  the  Rhine,  they  had 
sent  their  messengers  swiftly  on  ahead  to  the  Hunnish 
land,  who  should  tell  the  king  that  Rudeger  had  gained 
for  him  to  wife  the  noble  high-born  queen. 


ADVENTURE   XXI 

HOW    KRIEMHILD    JOURNEYED    TO    THE    HUNS 

Let  now  the  messengers  ride.  We  will  do  you  to 
wit,  how  the  queen  journeyed  through  the  lands  and 
where  Giselher  and  Gemot  parted  from  her.  They  had 
served  her  as  their  fealty  bade  them.  Down  to  Vergen  * 
on  the  Danube  they  rode  ;  here  they  gaii  crave  leave 
of  the  queen,  for  they  would  ride  again  to  the  Rhine. 
V/ithout  tears  these  faithful  kinsmen  might  not  part. 
Doughty  Giselher  spake  then  to  his  sister :  "  When- 
ever, lady,  thou  shouldst  need  me,  when  aught  doth 
trouble  thee,  let  me  but  know,  and  I  will  ride  in  thy 
service  to  Etzel's  land." 

Those  who  were  her  kin  she  kissed  upon  the  mouth. 
Lovingly  they  took  their  leave  of  Margrave  Riideger's 
men.  The  queen  had  with  her  many  a  fair-fashioned 
maid,  full  a  hundred  and  four,  that  wore  costly  robes 
of  rich,  gay-colored  silks.  Many  broad  shields  were 
borne  close  by  the  ladies  on  the  road,  but  many  a 
lordly  warrior  turned  then  from  her. 

They  journeyed  soon  from  thence  down  through 
Bavarian  land.  Here  the  tale  was  told  that  many 
unknown  strangers  had  gathered  there,  where  still  a 
cloister  standeth  and  where  the  Inn  floweth  into  the 
Danube.  In  the  town  of  Passau,  where  lived  a  bishop, 
lodgings  were  soon  emptied  and  the  prince's  court  as 
well,  as  they  hurried  forth  to  meet  the  strangers  in  the 
Bavarian  land,  where  the  Bishop  Pilgrim  2  found  fair 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  HUNS     175 

Kriemhild.  The  knights  of  the  land  were  little  loth, 
when  in  her  train  they  saw  so  many  comely  maids  ;  with 
their  eyes  they  courted  the  daughters  of  noble  knights. 
Later  good  lodgings  were  given  the  noble  guests. 

With  his  niece  the  bishop  rode  toward  Passau. 
When  it  was  told  the  burghers  of  the  town  that  Kriem- 
hild was  come,  their  prince's  sister's  child,  well  was 
she  greeted  by  the  merchants.  The  bishop  had  the 
hope  that  they  would  stay.  Then  spake  Sir  Eckewart : 
"  That  may  not  be.  We  must  fare  further  down  to 
Riideger's  land.  Many  knights  await  us,  for  all  wot 
well  the  news." 

Well  wist  fair  Gotelind  the  tale.  She  tired  her  and 
her  noble  child  with  care.  Riideger  had  sent  her  word 
that  it  thought  him  good  that  she  should  cheer  the 
mind  of  the  queen  by  riding  forth  with  his  vassals  to 
the  Enns  x  for  to  meet  her.  When  this  message  had 
been  given,  one  saw  on  every  side  the  roads  alive  ;  on 
foot  and  horse  they  hastened  to  meet  their  guests. 
Now  was  the  queen  come  to  Efferding.2  Enow  there 
were  fi*om  the  Bavarian  land  who  might  perchance 
have  done  the  guests  much  harm,  had  they  robbed 
upon  the  roads,  as  was  their  wont.  That  had  been 
forestalled  by  the  lordly  margrave :  he  led  a  thousand 
knights  or  more. 

Now  Gotelind,  the  wife  of  Riideger,  was  come  ;  with 
her  there  rode  many  a  noble  knight  in  lordly  wise. 
When  they  were  come  across  the  Traun,3  upon  the 
plain  by  Enns,  one  saw  erected  huts  and  tents,  where 
the  guests  should  have  their  lodgings  for  the  night. 
Riideger  gave  the  vitaille  to  his  guests.  Fair  Gotelind 
left  her  lodgings  far  behind  her  ;  along  the  road  there 


176  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

trotted  many  a  shapely  palfrey  with  jingling  bridle. 
Fair  was  the  welcome  ;  right  well  was  Riideger  pleased. 
Among  those  who  rode  to  meet  them  on  the  way,  on 
either  side,  in  praiseworthy  wise,  was  many  a  knight. 
They  practised  chivalry,  the  which  full  many  a  maiden 
saw.  Nor  did  the  service  of  the  knights  mislike  the 
queen.  When  that  Riideger's  liegemen  met  the  guests, 
many  truncheons  1  were  seen  to  fly  on  high  from  the 
wrarriors'  hands  in  knightly  custom.  As  though  for  a 
prize  they  rode  before  the  ladies  there.  This  they  soon 
gave  over  and  many  warriors  greeted  each  other  in 
friendly  wise.  Then  they  escorted  fair  Gotelind  from 
thence  to  where  she  saw  Kriemhild.  Scant  leisure  had 
they  who  wot  how  to  serve  the  ladies. 

The  lord  of  Bechelaren  rode  now  to  his  wife.  Little 
it  irked  the  noble  margravine  that  he  was  come  so 
well  and  sound  from  the  Rhine.  In  part  her  cares  had 
given  way  to  joy.  When  she  had  welcomed  him,  he 
bade  her  dismount  with  the  ladies  of  her  train  upon 
the  sward.  Many  a  noble  knight  bestirred  him  and 
served  the  ladies  with  eager  zeal.  Then  Kriemhild 
spied  the  margravine  standing  with  her  meiny.  No 
nearer  she  drew,  but  checked  the  palfrey  with  the 
bridle  and  bade  them  lift  her  quickly  from  the  saddle. 
Men  saw  the  bishop  with  Eckewart  lead  his  sister's 
child  to  Gotelind.  All  stood  aside  at  once.  Then  the 
exiled  queen  kissed  Gotelind  upon  the  mouth.  Full 
lovingly  spake  Riideger's  wife  :  "Now  well  is  me,  dear 
lady,  that  I  have  ever  seen  with  mine  own  eyes  your 
charming  self  in  these  our  lands.  Naught  liefer  might 
hap  to  me  in  all  these  times." 

"Now  God  requite  you,"  quoth  Kriemhild,   "most 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  HUNS     177 

noble  Gotelind.  Shall  I  and  Botelung's  x  son  remain 
alive  and  well,  it  may  be  lief  to  you  that  ye  have  seen 
me  here." 

Neither  knew  what  must  needs  later  hap.  Many 
maidens  went  to  meet  each  other  in  courtly  wise.  The 
warriors,  too,  were  full  ready  with  their  service.  After 
the  greeting  they  sat  them  down  upon  the  clover. 
With  many  they  became  acquaint,  who  were  full 
strange  to  them  aforetime.  As  it  was;  now  high  noon, 
men  bade  pour  out  wine  for  the  ladies.  The  noble 
meiny  no  longer  tarried,  but  rode  to  where  they  found 
many  broad  pavilions  ;  there  ample  service  stood  ready 
for  the  guests. 

That  night  they  had  repose  till  early  on  the  morn. 
Those  from  Bechelaren  made  ready  for  to  lodge  the 
worthy  guests.  So  well  had  Kudeger  planned,  that 
little  enow  they  lacked.  The  embrasures  in  the  walls 
stood  open,  the  castle  at  Bechelaren  was  opened  wide. 
In  rode  the  guests  whom  men  were  fain  to  see  ;  the 
noble  host  bade  purvey  them  proper  easement.  Most 
lovingly  Rudeger's  daughter  with  her  meiny  went  to 
welcome  the  queen.  There,  too,  stood  her  mother,  the 
margrave's  wife ;  many  a  high-born  maid  was  greeted 
with  delight.  They  took  each  other  by  the  hand  and 
hied  them  hence  to  a  broad  hall,  fashioned  full  fair, 
under  which  the  Danube  flowed  along.  Towards  the 
breeze  they  sate  and  held  great  pastime.  What  more 
they  did  I  cannot  tell,  save  that  Kriemhild's  men-at- 
arms  were  heard  to  grumble  that  they  fared  so  slowly 
on  their  way,  for  much  it  irked  them.  Ho,  what  good 
knights  rode  with  them  hence  from  Bechelaren! 

Riidegrer  offered    them  much    loving    service.    The 


178  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

queen  gave  Gotelind's  daughter  twelve  ruddy  armlets, 
and  raiment  too,  as  good  as  any  that  she  brought  to 
Etzel's  land.  Although  the  Nibelung  gold  was  taken 
from  her,  yet  she  did  win  the  hearts  of  all  that  saw 
her  with  the  little  she  still  might  have.  Great  gifts 
were  given  to  the  courtiers  of  the  host.  In  turn  the 
Lady  Gotelind  offered  the  guests  from  the  Rhine  wor- 
ship in  such  friendly  wise,  that  men  found  passing  few 
of  the  strangers  that  did  not  wear  her  jewels  or  her 
lordly  robes. 

When  they  had  eaten  and  should  depart,  faithful 
service  was  proffered  by  the  lady  of  the  house  to 
Etzel's  bride.  The  fair  young  margravine,  too,  was 
much  caressed.  To  the  queen  she  spake :  "  Whenso  it 
thinketh  you  good,  I  know  well  that  my  dear  father 
will  gladly  send  me  to  you  to  the  Hunnish  land."  How 
well  Kriemhild  marked  that  the  maiden  loved  her  truly. 

The  steeds  were  harnessed  and  led  before  the  castle 
of  Bechelaren  and  the  noble  queen  took  leave  of  Riide- 
ger's  wife  and  daughter.  With  a  greeting  many  a  fair 
maid  parted  too.  Full  seldom  did  they  see  each  other 
since  these  days.  From  Medelick  x  the  folk  bare  in 
their  hands  many  a  rich  cup  of  gold,  in  which  they 
offered  wine  to  the  strangers  on  the  highway.  Thus 
they  made  them  welcome.  A  host  dwelt  there,  hight 
Astolt,2  who  showed  them  the  road  to  the  Austrian 
land,  towards  Mautern  3  down  the  Danube.  There  the 
noble  queen  was  later  served  full  well.  From  his  niece 
the  bishop  parted  lovingly.  How  he  counseled  her 
that  she  should  bear  her  well  and  that  she  should  pur- 
chase honor  for  herself,  as  Helca,  too,  had  done !  Ho, 
what  great  worship  she  later  gained  among  the  Huns ! 


HOW  KRIEMHILD  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  HUNS     179 

To  the  Traisem  *  thev  escorted  hence  the  guests. 
Riideger's  men  purveyed  them  zealously,  until  the 
Huns  came  riding  across  the  land.  Then  the  queen 
became  acquaint  with  mickle  honor.  Near  the  Traisem 
the  king-  of  the  Hunnish  land  did  have  a  mighty  castle, 
hight  Zeisenmauer,2  known  far  and  wide.  Lady  Helca 
dwelt  there  aforetime  and  used  such  great  virtues  that 
it  might  not  lightly  ever  hap  again,  unless  it  be  through 
Kriemhild.  She  wist  so  how  to  give,  that  after  all  her 
sorrow  she  had  the  joy  that  Etzel's  liegemen  gave  her 
great  worship,  of  which  she  later  won  great  store  among 
the  heroes.  Etzel's  rule  was  known  far  and  wide,  so 
that  all  time  one  found  at  his  coiirt  the  boldest  warriors 
of  whom  men  ever  heard,  among  Christian  or  among 
paynim.  They  were  all  come  with  him.  All  time  there 
were  at  his  court,  what  may  not  so  lightly  hap  again, 
Christian  customs  and  also  heathen  faith.  In  whatso- 
ever wise  each  lived,  the  bounty  of  the  king  bestowed 
on  all  enow. 


ADVENTURE   XXII 

« 

HOW    ETZEL    MADE    KRIEMHILD    HIS    BRIDE 

Until  the  fourth  day  she  stayed  at  Zeisenmauer.  The 
while  the  dust  upon  the  highway  never  came  to  rest, 
but  rose  on  every  side,  as  if  it  were  burning-,  where  King 
Etzel's  liegemen  rode  through  Austria.  Then  the  king 
was  told  aright  how  royally  Kriemhild  fared  through 
the  lands  ;  at  thought  of  this  his  sorrows  vanished.  He 
hasted  to  where  he  found  the  lovely  Kriemhild.  Men 
saw  ride  before  King  Etzel  on  the  road  many  bold 
knights  of  many  tongues  and  many  mighty  troops  of 
Christians  and  of  paynims.  When  they  met  the  lady, 
they  rode  along  in  lordly  wise.  Of  the  Russians  and  the 
Greeks  there  rode  there  many  a  man.  The  right  good 
steeds  of  the  Poles  and  Wallachians  were  seen  to  gal- 
lop swiftly,  as  they  rode  with  might  and  main.  Each 
did  show  the  customs  of  his  land.  From-  the  land  of 
Kiev *  there  rode  many  a  warrior  and  the  savage 
Petschenegers.2  With  the  bow  they  often  shot  at  the 
birds  which  flew  there;  to  the  very  head  they  drew  the 
arrows  on  the  bows. 

By  the  Danube  there  lieth  in  the  Austrian  land  a 
town  that  men  call  Tulna.3  There  she  became  acquaint 
with  many  a  foreign  custom,  the  which  she  had  never 
seen  afore.  She  greeted  there  enow  who  later  came 
through  her  to  grief.  Before  Etzel  there  rode  a  retinue, 
merry  and  noble,  courtly  and  lusty,  full  four  and  twenty 
princes,  mighty  and  of  lofty  birth.  They  would  fain  be- 


HOW   ETZEL   MADE   KRIEMHILD   HIS   BRIDE     181 

hold  their  lady  and  craved  naught  more.  Duke  Ramung  * 
of  Wallachia,  with  seven  hundred  vassals,  galloped  up 
before  her ;  like  flying  birds  men  saw  them  ride.  Then 
came  Prince  Gribeck  with  lordly  bands.  The  doughty 
Hornbog,2  with  full  a  thousand  men,  wheeled  from 
the  king  away  towards  the  queen.  Loudly  they  shouted 
after  the  custom  of  their  land.  Madly  too  rode  the 
kinsmen  of  the  Huns.  Then  came  brave  Hawart 3  of 
Denmark  and  the  doughty  Iring,4  free  of  guile  was 
he,  and  Irnf ried 5  of  Thuringia,  a  stately  man.  With 
twelve  hundred  vassals,  whom  they  had  in  their  band, 
they  greeted  Kriemhild,  so  that  she  had  therefrom 
great  worship.  Then  came  Sir  Bloedel,0  King  Etzel's 
brother,  from  the  Hunnish  land,  with  three  thousand 
men.  In  lordly  wise  he  rode  to  where  he  found  the 
queen.  Then  King  Etzel  came  and  Sir  Dietrich,  too, 
with  all  his  fellowship.  There  stood  many  worship- 
ful knights,  noble,  worthy,  and  good.  At  this  Dame 
Kriemhild's  spirits  rose. 

Then  Sir  Riideger  spake  to  the  queen :  "  Lady, 
here  will  I  receive  the  high-born  king ;  whomso  I  bid 
you  kiss,  that  must  ye  do.  Forsooth  ye  may  not  greet 
alike  King  Etzel's  men." 

From  the  palfrey  they  helped  the  royal  queen  alight. 
Etzel,  the  mighty,  bode  no  more,  but  dismounted 
from  his  steed  with  many  a  valiant  man.  Joyfully 
men  saw  them  go  towards  Kriemhild.  Two  mighty 
princes,  as  we  are  told,  walked  by  the  lady  and  bore 
her  train,  when  King  Etzel  went  to  meet  her,  where 
she  greeted  the  noble  lording  with  a  kiss  in  gracious 
wise.  She  raised  her  veil  and  from  out  the  gold  beamed 
forth  her  rosy  hue.  Many  a  man  stood  there  who  vowed 


182  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

that  Lady  Helca  could  not  have  been  more  fair  than 
she.  Close  by  stood  also  Bloedel,  the  brother  of  the 
king.  Him  Riideger,  the  mighty  margrave,  bade  her 
kiss  and  King  Gibeck,  too.  There  also  stood  Sir  Diet- 
rich. Twelve  of  the  warriors  the  king's  bride  kissed. 
She  greeted  many  knights  in  other  ways. 

All  the  while  that  Etzel  stood  at  Kriemhild's  side, 
the  youthful  warriors  did  as  people  still  are  wont  to  do. 
One  saw  them  riding  many  a  royal  joust.  This  Chris- 
tian champions  did  and  paynim,  too,  according  to  their 
custom.  In  what  right  knightly  wise  the  men  of  Diet- 
rich made  truncheons  from  the  shafts  fly  through  the 
air,  high  above  the  shields,  from  the  hands  of  doughty 
knights  !  Many  a  buckler's  edge  was  pierced  through 
and  through  by  the  German  strangers.  Great  crashing 
of  breaking  shafts  was  heard.  All  the  warriors  from 
the  land  were  come  and  the  king's  guests,  too,  many 
a  noble  man. 

Then  the  mighty  king  betook  him  hence  with  Lady 
Kriemhild.  Hard  by  them  a  royal  tent  was  seen  to 
stand ;  around  about  the  plain  was  filled  with  booths, 
where  they  should  rest  them  after  their  toils.  Many  a 
comely  maid  was  shown  to  her  place  thereunder  by 
the  knights,  where  she  then  sate  with  the  queen  on 
richly  covered  chairs.  The  margrave  had  so  well  pur- 
veyed the  seats  for  Kriemhild,  that  all  found  them 
passing  good  ;  at  this  King  Etzel  grew  blithe  of  mood. 
What  the  king  there  spake,  I  know  not.  In  his  right 
lay  her  snow-white  hand  ;  thus  they  sate  in  lover's  wise, 
since  Riideger  would  not  let  the  king  make  love  to 
Kriemhild  secretly. 

Then  one  bade  the  tourney  cease  on  every  side ;  in 


HOW   ETZEL  MADE   KRIEMHILD   HIS   BRIDE     183 

courtly  wise  the  great  rout  ended.  Etzel's  men  betook 
them  to  the  booths  ;  men  gave  them  lodgings  stretching 
far  away  on  every  side.  The  day  had  now  an  end  ;  they 
lay  at  ease,  till  the  bright  morn  was  seen  to  dawn 
again,  then  many  a  man  betook  him  to  the  steeds.  Ho, 
what  pastimes  they  gan  ply  in  honor  of  the  king ! 
Etzel  bade  the  Huns  purvey  all  with  fitting  honors. 
Then  they  rode  from  Tulna  to  the  town  of  Vienna, 
where  they  found  many  a  dame  adorned.  With  great 
worship  these  greeted  King  Etzel's  bride.  There  was 
ready  for  them  in  great  plenty  whatever  they  should 
have.  Many  a  lusty  hero  rejoiced  at  prospect  of  the 
rout. 

The  king's  wedding  feast  commenced  in  merry  wise. 
They  began  to  lodge  the  guests,  but  quarters  could 
not  be  found  for  all  within  the  town.  Riideger  there- 
fore begged  those  that  were  not  guests  to  take  lodg- 
ings in  the  country  round  about.  I  ween  men  found 
all  time  by  Lady  Kriemhild  Sir  Dietrich  and  many 
another  knight.  Their  rest  they  had  given  over  for 
toil,  that  they  might  purvey  the  guests  good  cheer. 
Riideger  and  his  friends  had  pastime  good.  The  wed- 
ding feast  fell  on  a  Whitsuntide,  when  King  Etzel  lay 
by  Kriemhild  in  the  town  of  Vienna.  With  her  first 
husband,  I  trow,  she  did  not  win  so  many  men  for 
service.  Through  presents  she  made  her  known  to 
those  who  had  never  seen  her.  Full  many  among  them 
spake  to  the  guests  :  "  We  weened  that  Lady  Kriem- 
hild had  naught  of  goods,  now  hath  she  wrought  many 
wonders  with  her  gifts." 

The  feasting  lasted  seventeen  days.  I  trow  men  can 
no  longer  tell  of  any  king  whose  wedding  feast  was 


184  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

greater.  If  so  be,  't  is  hidden  from  us.  All  that  were 
present  wore  brand-new  garments.  I  ween,  she  never 
dwelt  before  in  Netherland  with  such  retinue  of  knights. 
Though  Siegfried  was  rich  in  goods,  I  trow,  he 
never  won  so  many  noble  men-at-arms,  as  she  saw 
stand  'fore  Etzel.  Nor  hath  any  ever  given  at  his  own 
wedding  feast  so  many  costly  mantles,  long  and  wide, 
nor  such  good  clothes,  of  which  all  had  here  great  store, 
given  for  Kriemhild's  sake.  Her  friends  and  the  stran- 
gers, too,  were  minded  to  spare  no  kind  of  goods. 
Whatever  any  craved,  this  they  willingly  gave,  so  that 
many  of  the  knights  through  bounty  stood  bereft  of 
clothes.  Kriemhild  thought  of  how  she  dwelt  with  her 
noble  husband  by  the  Rhine  ;  her  eyes  grew  moist, 
but  she  hid  it  full  well,  that  none  might  see  it.  Great 
worship  had  been  done  her  after  many  a  grief.  What- 
ever bounty  any  used,  't  was  but  a  wind  to  that  of 
Dietrich.  What  Botelung's  son  had  given  him,  was 
squandered  quite.  Riideger's  lavish  hand  did  also 
many  wonders.  Prince  Bloedel  of  Hungary  bade 
empty  many  traveling  chests  of  their  silver  and  their 
gold  ;  all  this  was  given  away.  The  king's  champions 
were  seen  to  live  right  merrily.  Werbel  and  Swemmel,1 
the  minstrels  of  the  king,  each  gained  at  the  wedding 
feast,  I  ween,  full  thousand  marks,  or  even  better,  when 
fair  Kriemhild  sate  crowned  at  Etzel's  side. 

On  the  eighteenth  morning  they  rode  forth  from 
Vienna.  Many  shields  were  pierced  in  tilting  by  spears, 
which  the  warriors  bare  in  hand.  Thus  King  Etzel  came 
down  to  the  Hunnish  land.  They  spent  the  night  at 
ancient  Heimburg.2  No  one  might  know  the  press  of 
folk,  or  with  what  force  they  rode  across  the  land.  Ho, 


HOW   ETZEL   MADE   KRIEMHILD   HIS  BRIDE     185 

what  fair  women  tliey  found  in  Etzel's  native  land  !  At 
mighty  Misenburg1  they  boarded  ship.  The  water  which 
men  saw  flowing-  there  was  covered  with  steeds  and  men, 
as  if  it  were  solid  earth.  The  wayworn  ladies  had  their 
ease  and  rest.  Many  good  ships  were  lashed  together, 
that  neither  waves  nor  flood  might  do  them  harm. 
Upon  them  many  a  goodly  tent  was  spread,  as  if  they 
still  had  both  land  and  plain. 

From  thence  tidings  came  to  Etzelburg,2  at  which 
both  men  and  wives  therein  were  glad.  Helca's  meiny, 
that  aforetime  waited  on  their  mistress,  passed  many 
a  happy  day  thereafter  at  Kriemhild's  side.  There 
many  a  noble  maid  stood  waiting,  who  bad  great  grief 
through  Helca's  death.  Kriemhild  found  still  seven 
royal  princesses  there,  through  whom  all  Etzel's  land 
was  graced.  For  the  meiny  the  high-born  maiden 
Herrat 3  cared,  the  daughter  of  Helca's  sister,  beseen 
with  many  courtly  virtues,  the  betrothed  of  Dietrich, 
a  royal  child,  King  Nentwin's  A  daughter ;  much  wor- 
ship she  later  had.  Blithe  of  heart  she  was  at  the 
coming  of  the  guests  ;  for  this,  too,  mighty  treasures 
were  prepared.  Who  might  tell  the  tale  of  how  the 
king  held  court  ?  Never  had  men  lived  better  among 
the  Huns  with  any  queen. 

When  that  the  king  with  his  wife  rode  from  the 
shore,  the  noble  Kriemhild  was  told  full  well  who  each 
one  was  ;  she  greeted  them  the  better.  Ho,  how  royally 
she  ruled  in  Helca's  stead !  She  became  acquaint 
with  much  loyal  service.  Then  the  queen  dealt  out 
gold  and  vesture,  silk  and  precious  stones.  Whatever 
she  brought  with  her  across  the  Rhine  to  Hungary 
must  needs  be  given  all  away.   All  the  king's  kinsmen 


186  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

and  all  his  liegemen  then  owned  her  service,  so  that 
Lady  Helca  never  ruled  so  mightily  as  she,  whom 
they  now  must  serve  till  Kriemhild's  death.  The  court 
and  all  the  land  lived  in  such  high  honors,  that  all 
time  men  found  the  pastimes  which  each  heart  de- 
sired, through  the  favor  of  the  king  and  his  good 
queen. 


ADVENTURE  XXIII 

HOW  KRIEMHILD  THOUGHT  TO  AVENGE  HER  WRONGS 

With  great  worship  of  a  truth  they  lived  together  un- 
til the  seventh  year.  In  this  time  the  queen  was  deliv- 
ered of  a  son,  at  which  King  Etzel  could  not  have  been 
more  joyful.  She  would  not  turn  back,  until  she  brought 
it  to  pass  that  Etzel's  child  was  christened  after  the 
Christian  rite.  Men  named  it  Ortlieb  x ;  at  this  great 
joy  arose  over  all  of  EtzeFs  lands.  Whatever  courtly 
breeding  Lady  Helca  had  possessed,  Dame  Kriemhild 
practiced  this  full  many  a  day.  Herrat,  the  exiled 
maid,  who  in  secret  grieved  full  sore  for  Helca,  taught 
her  the  customs.  Well  was  she  known  to  the  strangers 
and  the  home-folk.  They  vowed  that  never  had  a  king- 
dom had  a  better  or  more  bounteous  queen.  This  they 
held  for  true.  She  bare  this  praise  among  the  Huns 
until  the  thirteenth  year.  Now  wot  she  well,  that  none 
would  thwart  her,  as  royal  men-at-arms  still  do  to  a 
prince's  wife,  and  that  all  time  she  saw  twelve  kings 
stand  before  her.  Over  many  a  wrong  she  brooded, 
that  had  happed  to  her  at  home.  She  thought  likewise 
on  the  many  honors  in  the  Nibelung  land,  which  she 
had  there  enjoyed  and  of  which  Hagen's  hand  had 
quite  bereft  her  at  Siegfried's  death,  and  if  perchance 
she  might  not  make  him  suffer  for  his  deed.  "  That 
would  hap,  if  I  might  but  bring  him  to  this  land."  She 
dreamed  that  Giselher,  her  brother,  walked  often  with 
her  hand  in  hand.  Alway  she  kissed  him  in  her  gentle 


188  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

slumber ;  later  suffering  came  to  both.  I  ween,  the 
foul  fiend  did  counsel  Kriemhild  this,  that  she  with- 
drew her  friendship  from  Giselher,  whom  for  forgive- 
ness' sake  she  had  kissed  in  the  Burgundian  land.  At 
this  hot  tears  again  gan  soil  her  robe.  Early  and  late  it 
lay  within  her  heart,  how  without  fault  of  hers  they 
had  made  her  wed  a  heathen  man.  Hagen  and  Gun- 
tber  had  brought  her  to  this  pass.  This  wish  she  seldom 
gave  over  in  her  heart.  She  thought :  "  I  am  so  mighty 
and  have  such  great  wealth,  that  I  can  do  my  foes  an 
injury  yet.  Full  ready  would  I  be  for  this  towards 
Hagen  of  Troneg.  My  heart  doth  often  yearn  for  my 
faithful  kin.  Might  I  be  with  those  who  did  me  wrong, 
my  lover's  death  would  be  well  avenged.  Scarce  can  I 
abide  this,"  spake  Etzel's  wife. 

All  the  king's  men,  Kriemhild's  warriors,  bare  her 
love  in  duty  bound.  Of  the  chamber  Eckewart  had 
charge,  which  won  him  friends.  None  might  gainsay 
Dame  Kriemhild's  will.  All  time  she  thought :  "  I  will 
beg  the  king,  that  he  in  kindly  wise  may  grant  me 
to  bring  my  kinsmen  to  the  Hunnish  land."  None 
marked  the  evil  purpose  of  the  queen.  One  night  when 
she  lay  by  the  king,  and  he  did  hold  her  in  his  arms,  as 
he  was  wont  to  love  the  noble  dame,  who  was  dear  to 
him  as  life,  the  high-born  lady  thought  her  of  her  foes. 
To  the  king  she  spake  :  "  Dear  my  lord,  I  would  fain 
beseech  you,  by  your  grace,  that  ye  would  show  me  that 
ye  did  love  my  kinsfolk,  if  I  have  earned  the  favor." 

Then  spake  the  king  (true  was  his  heart) :  "  I  '11 
give  you  to  know  however  well  the  knights  may  fare, 
I  may  well  have  joy  of  this,  for  never  have  I  won  better 
kin  through  woman's  love." 


KRIEMHILD  SEEKS  TO  AVENGE  HER  WRONGS    189 

Again  the  queen  spake  :  "  It  hath  been  well  told 
you,  that  I  have  high-born  kin  ;  therefore  do  I  grieve 
that  they  so  seldom  reek  to  see  me  here.  I  hear  the 
folk  aver  that  I  be  banished." 

Then  spake  King  Etzel :  "  Dear  lady  mine,  and  it 
think  you  not  too  far,  I  '11  bid  hither  to  my  lands,  from 
across  the  Rhine,  whomso  ye  be  fain  to  see." 

The  lady  joyed  her  when  she  heard  his  will.  She 
spake  :  "Would  ye  show  me  your  faith,  my  lord,  then 
send  envoys  to  Worms  across  the  Rhine,  through  whom 
I  may  tell  my  kinsfolk  what  I  have  in  mind.  Thus 
there  will  come  hither  to  our  land  many  a  noble  knight 
and  a  good." 

He  answered  :  "  It  shall  hap  whenso  ye  bid.  Ye 
might  not  be  more  glad  to  see  your  kin  than  I  to  see 
the  sons  of  the  noble  Uta.  It  doth  irk  me  sore,  that 
they  have  been  strangers  to  us  so  long  a  time.  If  it 
please  you,  dear  lady  mine,  I  would  fain  send  my  min- 
strels for  your  kinsmen  to  the  Burgundian  land."' 

He  bade  the  good  minstrels  be  fetched  straightway. 
Quickly  they  hasted  to  where  the  king  sate  by  the 
queen.  He  told  the  twain  they  should  be  envoys  to  the 
Burgundian  land  and  bade  full  lordly  weeds  be  made 
ready  for  them.  Clothing  was  prepared  for  four  and 
twenty  warriors,  and  the  message  was  told  them  by 
the  king,  how  they  should  bid  Gunther  and  his  liege- 
men hither.  Kriemhild,  the  queen,  talked  with  them 
apart.  Then  spake  the  mighty  king  :  "  I  '11  tell  you 
what  to  say.  I  offer  to  my  kin  my  love  and  service, 
that  it  may  please  them  to  ride  hither  to  my  land.  But 
few  such  welcome  guests  have  I  known,  and  if  they 
perchance  will  fulfill  my  wish,  tell  Kriemhild's  kinsmen 


190  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

that  they  must  not  fail  to  come  this  summer  to  my 
feast,  for  much  of  my  joy  doth  lie  upon  the  kinsmen 
of  my  wife." 

Then  spake  the  minstrel,  the  proud  Swemmel : 
"  When  shall  your  feasting  be  in  these  lands,  that  I 
may  tell  it  yonder  to  your  kin?" 

King  Etzel  answered  :   "  On  next  midsummer's  day." 

"  We  '11  do  as  ye  command,"  spake  then  Werbel. 

The  queen  bade  them  be  brought  secretly  unto  her 
bower,  where  she  then  talked  with  the  envoys.  From 
this  but  little  joy  happed  to  many  a  knight.  To  the 
two  messengers  she  spake :  "  Now  earn  ye  mickle 
goods,  in  that  ye  do  my  pleasure  full  willingly  and 
give  the  message  which  I  send  to  my  native  land.  I  '11 
make  you  rich  in  goods  and  give  you  lordly  robes. 
And  if  ye  see  any  of  my  kin  at  Worms  upon  the  Rhine, . 
ye  must  not  tell  them  that  ye  ever  saw  me  sad  of  heart. 
Tender  my  service  to  the  heroes  brave  and  good.  Beg 
that  they  do  as  the  king  doth  bid  and  thus  part  me 
from  all  my  grief.  The  Huns  ween,  I  be  without  kith 
and  kin.  Were  I  a  knight,  I  'd  visit  them  myself  at 
times.  And  say  to  Gemot,  too,  the  noble  brother  of 
mine,  that  none  in  the  world  doth  love  him  more.  Beg 
him  to  bring  with  him  to  this  land  our  best  of  friends, 
that  it  may  be  to  our  honor.  Say  also  to  Giselher,  that 
he  remember  well,  I  never  gained  grief  through  fault  of 
his.  Therefore  would  mine  eyes  fain  see  him.  For  his 
great  loyalty  I  would  gladly  have  him  here.  Tell  my 
mother  also  of  the  honors  which  I  have,  and  if  Hagen 
of  Troneg  be  minded  to  stay  at  home,  who  then  should 
lead  them  through  the  lands  ?  From  a  child  he  know- 
eth  the  roads  to  Hungary."  1 


KRIEMHILD  SEEKS  TO  AVENGE  HER  WRONGS    191 

The  envoys  wist  not,  why  it  was  done,  that  they 
should  not  let  Hagen  of  Troneg  stay  upon  the  Rhine. 
Later  it  repented  them  full  sore.  With  him  many  a 
knight  was  doomed  to  a  savage  death.  Letters  and 
messages  had  now  been  given  them.  They  rode  forth 
rich  in  goods,  and  well  could  lead  a  sumptuous  life.  Of 
Etzel  and  his  fair  wife  they  took  their  leave,  their 
persons  adorned  full  well  with  goodly  weeds. 


ADVENTURE   XXIV 

HOW  WERBEL  AND    SWEMMEL  BROUGHT  THE  MESSAGE 

When  that  Etzel  had  sent  his  envoys  to  the  Rhine, 
these  tidings  flew  from  land  to  land.  Through  full 
speedy  messengers  he  begged  and  bade  to  his  high 
feasting.  From  this  many  a  one  met  there  his  death. 
The  envoys  rode  away  from  the  Hunnish  land  to  Bur- 
gundy. They  were  sent  thither  for  three  noble  kings 
and  for  their  men,  that  these  should  come  to  Etzel ; 
therefore  all  gan  haste.  To  Bechelaren  they  came 
a-riding,  where  men  served  them  gladly.  Riideger  and 
Gotelind  and  the  child  of  them  twain  delayed  not  to 
send  their  service  through  the  envoys  to  the  Rhine. 
Nor  did  they  let  them  part  hence  without  gifts,  that 
Etzel's  men  might  fare  the  better.  To  Uta  and  her  sons 
Riideger  sent  word  that  they  had  no  more  loyal  mar- 
grave than  he.  To  Brunhild,  also,  they  tendered  service 
and  good  wishes,  constant  fealty  and  a  loving  mind. 
When  they  heard  the  speech  that  the  envoys  would  ride, 
the  margravine  begged  God  in  heaven  to  keep  them  well. 

Before  the  messengers  were  quite  come  through 
Bavarian  land,  the  doughty  Werbel  sought  out  the  good 
Bishop  Pilgrim.  What  word  he  sent  to  his  kin  upon 
the  Rhine,  that  I  know  not,  but  naught  but  ruddy 
"•old  he  srave  the  messengers  for  love  and  let  them  ride. 

Then  spake  the  bishop  :  "  And  might  I  see  them 
here,  my  sister's  sons,  I  should  be  blithe  of  mood,  for 
full  seldom  can  I  come  to  them  upon  the  Rhine." 


HOW   THE   MESSAGE  WAS   BROUGHT         193 

What  roads  they  traveled  to  the  Rhine,  I  cannot 
tell.  None  robbed,  them  of  their  silver  and.  their 
weeds ;  men  feared  their  master's  wrath.  Certes  the 
noble  high-born  king  was  a  mighty  lord. 

Within  a  twelfth  night  Werbel  and  Swemmel 
came  to  the  Rhine,  to  the  land  of  Worms.  To  the 
kings  and  their  liegemen  tidings  were  told  that  there 
came  strange  messengers.  Gunther,  the  lord  of  the 
Rhineland,  gan  ask :  "  Who  will  do  ns  to  wit,  from 
whence  these  strangers  ride  into  our  land?" 

This  none  wist,  till  Hagen  of  Troneg  saw  them, 
who  then  spake  to  Gnnther :  "  New  tidings  be  come 
to  us,  as  I  will  vouch,  for  I  have  seen  King  Etzel's 
minstrels  here.  Them  your  sister  hath  sent  to  the 
Rhine ;  for  their  master's  sake  we  must  give  them  a 
kindly  welcome." 

Already  they  were  riding  up  before  the  palace ; 
never  did  a  prince's  minstrels  journey  in  more  lordly 
wise.  Straightway  the  king's  meiny  bade  them  wel- 
come. Men  gave  them  lodgings  and.  bade  take  in 
charge  their  trappings.  Their  traveling  clothes  were 
rich  and  so  well  fashioned  that  with  honor  they  might 
come  before  the  king,  but  they  would  not  wear  them 
longer  there  at  court,  and  asked  if  there  were  any  that 
desired  them.  At  the  selfsame  moment  folk  were  found 
who  fain  would  take  them,  and  to  these  they  were  sent. 
Then  the  strangers  donned  far  better  weeds,  such  as 
well  befitted  king's  messengers  for  to  wear. 

Then  Etzel's  retainers  went  by  leave  to  where  the 
king  was  sitting;  men  saw  this  gladly.  Hagen  sprang 
courteously  towards  the  messengers  and  greeted  them 
in    loving    wise.   For    this    the  squires    did    say    him 


194  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

thanks.  That  he  might  know  their  tidings,  he  gan  ask 
how  Etzel  fared  and  all  his  men.  Then  spake  the  min- 
strel :  "  Never  did  the  land  stand  better,  nor  were  the 
folk  more  merry ;  now  know  that  of  a  truth." 

To  the  host  they  went ;  the  hall  was  full.  There  men 
received  the  guests,  as  one  must  do  by  right,  when 
kindly  greetings  be  sent  to  the  lands  of  other  kings. 
Werbel  found  full  many  warriors  there  at  Gunther's 
side.  In  courteous  wise  the  king  gan  greet  them: 
"  Ye  minstrels  of  the  Huns  and  all  your  fellowship, 
be  ye  welcome.  Hath  the  mighty  Etzel  sent  you 
hither  to  the  Burgundian  land  ?  " 

To  the  king  they  bowed  ;  then  spake  Werbel :  "  My 
dear  lord,  and  also  Kriemhild,  your  sister,  do  send  you 
loyal  service  to  this  land.  They  have  sent  us  to  you 
knights  in  all  good  faith." 

Spake  the  mighty  prince  :  "  Merry  am  I  at  this  tale. 
How  fareth  Etzel,"  so  asked  the  knight,  "  and  Kriem- 
hild, my  sister,  of  the  Hunnish  land?" 

Quoth  the  minstrel :  "  This  tale  I  '11  tell  you  ;  ye 
should  know  that  never  have  folk  fared  better  than 
the  twain  and  all  their  followers,  their  kinsmen  and 
their  vassals.  They  joyed  them  of  the  journey,  as  we 
departed  hence." 

"  Gramercy  for  his  greetings  which  he  hath  sent 
me,  and  for  those  of  my  sister,  sith  it  standeth  so  that 
the  king  and  his  men  live  thus  in  happiness,  for  I 
did  ask  the  news  in  fear  and  trembling." 

The  two  young  princes  were  now  also  come,  for 
they  had  but  just  heard  the  tale.  For  the  sake  of  his 
sister  Giselher,  the  youth,  was  fain  to  see  the  envoys. 
He  spake  to  them  in  loving  wise :  "  Ye  messengers, 


HOW   THE   MESSAGE   WAS  BROUGHT         195 

be  very  welcome  to  us.  An'  ye  would  ride  more  often 
hither  to  the  Rhine,  ye  would  find  friends  here  whom 
ye  would  be  glad  to  see.  Little  of  harm  shall  hap  you 
in  this  land." 

"  We  trust  you  in  all  honor,"  spake  then  Swemmel. 
"  I  could  not  convey  to  you  with  all  my  wits,  how  lov- 
ingly King-  Etzel  and  your  noble  sister,  who  live  in 
such  great  worship,  have  sent  their  greetings.  The 
queen  doth  mind  you  of  your  love  and  fealty,  and  that 
your  heart  and  mind  did  ever  hold  her  dear.  But  first 
and  foremost  we  be  sent  to  the  king,  that  ye  may 
deign  to  ride  to  Etzel's  land.  The  mighty  Etzel  en- 
joined us  strictly  to  beg  you  this  and  sent  the  message 
to  you  all,  that  if  ye  would  not  let  your  sister  see  you, 
he  fain  would  know  what  he  had  done  you  that  ye  be 
so  strange  to  him  and  to  his  lands.  An'  ye  had  never 
known  the  queen,  yet  would  he  fain  bring  it  to  pass 
that  ye  consent  to  come  and  see  him.  It  would  please 
him  well  if  that  might  hap." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther :  "  In  a  sennight  I  will 
tell  you  the  tale  of  what  I  have  bethought  me  with 
my  friends.  Meanwhile  hie  you  to  your  lodgings  and 
rest  you  well." 

Quoth  Werbel  again  :  "  And  could  that  be  that  we 
might  see  my  lady,  the  royal  Uta,  afore  we  take  our 
easement  ?  " 

The  noble  Giselher  spake  then  full  courteously: 
"  None  shall  hinder  that.  An'  ye  woahl  go  before  her, 
ye  will  do  in  full  my  mother's  wish,  for  she  will  gladly 
see  you  for  my  sister's  sake,  the  Lady  Kriemhild  ;  she 
will  make  you  welcome." 

Giselher  led  them  to  where  they  found  the  queen. 


196  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Gladly  she  gazed  upon  the  envoys  from  the  Hunnish 
land.  Through  her  courtesie  she  gave  them  gentle  greet- 
ing. The  good  and  courtly  messengers  then  told  their 
tale.  "  My  lady  offereth  you  of  a  truth,"  so  spake  Swem- 
mel,  "  her  love  and  duty.  Might  that  be  that  she 
could  see  you  oft,  ye  may  well  believe  she  had  no  bet- 
ter joy  in  all  the  world." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  That  may  not  be.  However 
gladly  I  would  often  see  the  dear  daughter  of  mine,  yet 
doth  the  wife  of  the  noble  king  live,  alas,  too  far  from 
me.  May  she  and  Etzel  be  ever  blessed.  Pray  let  me 
know  before  ye  leave,  when  ye  would  hence  again  ; 
not  in  a  long  time  have  I  seen  messengers  so  gladly 
as  I  have  you."  The  squires  vowed  that  this  should 
hap. 

Those  from  the  Hunnish  land  now  rode  to  their 
lodgings.  Meanwhile  the  mighty  king  had  sent  to 
fetch  his  friends.  The  noble  Gunther  asked  his  liesre- 
men  how  they  liked  the  speech.  Many  a  one  gan  say 
that  the  king  well  might  ride  to  Etzel's  land.  The 
very  best  among  them  advised  him  this,  save  Hagen 
alone  ;  him  misliked  it  sore.  Privily  he  spake  to  the 
king :  "  Ye  fight  against  yourself  ;  ye  know  full  well 
what  we  have  done.  We  may  well  be  ever  on  our 
guard  with  Kriemhild,  for  with  mine  own  hand  1  slew 
her  husband  to  death.  How  durst  we  ride  to  EtzeFs 
land  ?  " 

Then  spake  the  mighty  king  :  "  My  sister  gave  over 
her  wrath  ;  with  a  kiss  she  lovingly  forgave  what  we 
had  done  her,  or  ever  she  rode  away.  Unless  be  that 
the  feud  doth  stand  against  you  alone." 

Quoth  Hagen  :  "  Now  let  the  messengers  from  the 


HOW  THE  MESSAGE  WAS   BROUGHT         197 

Huns  beguile  you  not,  whatsoever  they  say.  Would  ye 
visit  Kriemhild,  easily  may  ye  lose  there  both  life  and 
honor.  Full  long  of  vengeance  is  King  Etzel's  wife." 

Then  spake  Prince  Gemot  to  the  council :  "  Why 
should  we  give  it  over,  because  ye  rightly  fear  death 
in  the  Hunnish  lands?  It  were  an  ill  deed  not  to  go 
to  see  our  sister." 

Then  spake  Prince  Giselher  to  the  knight :  "  Sith 
ye  know  you  to  be  guilty,  friend  Hagen,  ye  should 
stay  at  home  and  guard  you  well,  and  let  those  who 
dare  ride  with  us  to  my  sister." 

At  this  the  knight  of  Troneg  grew  wroth  of  mood. 
"  I  will  not  that  ye  take  any  with  you  on  the  way,  who 
durst  better  ride  to  court  than  I.  Sith  ye  will  not 
turn  you,  I  will  well  show  you  that." 

Then  spake  the  master  of  the  kitchen,  Rumolt,  the 
knight :  "  Ye  can  well  have  the  strangers  and  the 
home-folk  cared  for  here,  after  your  own  desire,  for 
ye  have  full  store  of  goods.  I  ween,  Hagen  hath  never 
given  you  for  a  hostage l ;  but  if  ye  will  not  follow  him, 
Rumolt  adviseth  you,  for  I  be  bound  to  you  in  fealty 
and  duty,  that  for  my  sake  ye  abide  here  and  leave 
King  Etzel  there  with  Kriemhild.  How  might  it  fare 
more  gently  with  you  in  all  the  world  ?  Ye  be  well 
able  to  stand  before  your  foes ;  so  deck  your  body 
out  with  brave  attire,  drink  the  best  of  wine,  and  pay 
court  to  stately  ladies.  Thereto  ye  be  served  with  the 
best  of  food  that  ever  king  did  gain  in  the  world. 
And  were  this  not  so,  yet  should  ye  tarry  here  for  your 
fair  wife's  sake,  before  ye  risk  your  life  so  childishly. 
Wherefore;  I  do  counsel  you  to  stay  at  home.  Your 
lands  be  rich,  and  one  can  redeem  his  pledges  better 


198  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

at  home  than  anions:  the  Huns.  Who  knoweth  how 
it  standeth  there  ?  Ye  should  stay  at  home,  Sire,  that 
is  Rumolt's  counsel." 

"  We  will  not  stay,"  quoth  Gemot.  "  Sith  my  sister 
and  the  mighty  Etzel  have  bidden  us  in  such  friendly 
wise,  why  should  we  not  accept  ?  He  that  liketh  not 
to  go  may  stay  at  home." 

To  this  Hagen  answered :  "  Take  not  my  speech 
amiss,  however  ye  may  fare.  In  all  truth  I  counsel 
you,  would  ye  guard  your  lives,  then  ride  to  the  Huns 
well  armed.  Sith  ye  will  not  turn  you,  send  for  your 
men-at-arms,  the  best  ye  have  or  can  find  in  any  part ; 
from  among  them  all  I  '11  choose  a  thousand  doughty 
knights.  Then  Kriemhild's  evil  mood  can  bring  you 
naught  of  harm." 

"  This  rede  I  '11  gladly  follow,"  spake  straightway 
the  king.  He  then  bade  messengers  ride  far  and  wide 
throughout  his  lands.  Three  thousand  champions  or 
more  they  fetched.  Little  they  weened  to  gain  such 
grievous  woe.  Full  merrily  they  rode  to  Gunther's 
court.  Men  bade  give  all  that  were  to  ride  forth  from 
Burgundy  both  steeds  and  trappings.  The  king  gained 
full  many  a  one  with  willing  mood.  Then  Hagen  of 
Troneg  bade  his  brother  Dankwart  lead  eighty  of 
their  warriors  to  the  Rhine.  In  knightly  guise  they 
came  ;  these  doughty  men  took  with  them  harness  and 
trappings  into  Gunther's  land.  Then  came  bold  Folker, 
a  noble  minstrel  he,  with  thirty  of  his  men,  for  the 
journey  to  Kriemhild's  court.  They  had  clothing  such 
as  a  king  might  wear.  Gunther  bade  make  known,  he 
would  to  the  Hunnish  land.  I  '11  do  you  now  to  wit 
who  Folker  was.  He  was  a  noble  lord,   the  liege  of 


HOW  THE   MESSAGE  WAS   BROUGHT         199 

many  doughty  knights  in  Burgundy.  A  minstrel  he 
was  called,  for  that  he  wist  how  to  fiddle.  Hagfen 
chose  a  thousand  whom  he  well  knew  ;  oft  had  he  seen 
what  their  hands  had  wrought  in  press  of  battle,  or  in 
whatever  else  they  did.  None  might  aver  aught  else 
of  them  than  doughtiness. 

The  tarrying  irked  Kriemhild's  envoys  sore,  for 
great  was  their  fear  of  their  lord.  Daily  they  craved 
leave  to  go ;  this  Hagen  would  not  grant  through 
craftiness.  To  his  master  he  spake  :  "  We  should  well 
guard  against  letting  them  ride  away,  until  we  our- 
selves fare  forth  a  sennight  later  to  Etzel's  land.  If 
any  beareth  us  ill  will,  the  better  shall  we  wot  it.  Nor 
may  Lady  Kriemhild  then  make  ready  that  through 
any  plan  of  hers,  men  do  us  harm.  An'  this  be  her 
will,  she'll  fare  full  ill,  for  many  a  chosen  liegeman 
lead  we  hence." 

Shields  and  saddles,  and  all  the  garments  that  they 
would  take  with  them  to  Etzel's  land,  were  now  full 
ready  for  many  a  brave  man-at-arms.  Now  men  bade 
Kriemhild's  messengers  go  before  King  Gunther. 
When  they  were  come,  Gemot  spake  :  "  The  king  will 
do  as  Etzel  asked  us,  we  will  gladly  come  to  his  high 
feast  to  see  our  sister;  be  no  more  in  doubt  of  that." 

Then  King  Gunther  spake  :  "  Wist  ye  how  to  tell 
us,  when  this  feast  shall  be,  or  in  what  time  we  should 
go  thither  ?  " 

Swemmel  replied :  "  Of  a  truth  it  shall  be  on  next 
midsummer's  day." 

The  king  gave  them  leave  (this  had  not  happed  as 
yet),  if  they  would  fain  see  Lady  Brunhild,  to  go 
before  her  with  his  free  will.  This  Folker  hindered, 


200  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

which  pleased  her  much.  "  Forsooth,  my  Lady  Brun- 
hild is  not  so  well  of  mood,  that  ye  may  see  her," 
spake  the  good  knight.  "  Bide  the  morrow,  and  men 
will  let  you  see  her."  When  they  weened  to  gaze  upon 
her,  it  might  not  hap. 

Then  the  mighty  prince,  who  liked  the  envoys  well, 
through  his  own  courtesie,  bade  his  gold  be  carried 
forth  on  the  broad  shields  of  which  he  had  great 
store.  Rich  gifts  were  also  given  them  by  his  kinsmen 
Giselher  and  Gemot,  Gere  and  Ortwin.  Well  they 
showed,  that  they  were  generous,  too.  They  offered  the 
messengers  such  rich  gifts,  that  for  fear  of  their  lord 
they  durst  not  take  them. 

Now  spake  the  envoy  Werbel  to  the  king :  "  Sir 
King,  let  your  gifts  stay  here  at  home.  We  may  carry 
none  away ;  our  lord  forbade  that  we  take  aught  of 
gifts.   Then  too,  there  is  but  little  need." 

Then  the  ruler  of  the  Rhine  waxed  wroth,  that 
they  should  thus  refuse  the  gifts  of  so  mighty  a  king. 
At  last  they  were  forced  to  take  his  gold  and  weeds, 
the  which  they  later  bare  to  Etzel's  land.  They 
would  fain  see  the  Lady  Uta,  or  ever  they  departed 
hence,  so  the  doughty  Giselher  brought  the  minstrels 
before  his  mother  Uta.  The  lady  sent  the  message, 
that  whatever  honors  her  daughter  had,  this  gave  her 
joy.  Then  the  queen  bade  give  the  minstrels  of  her 
edgings  and  her  gold,  for  the  sake  of  King  Etzel  and 
Kriemhild  whom  she  loved.  Gladly  they  took  the  gifts  ; 
in  good  faith  't  was  done. 

The  messengers  had  now  taken  their  leave  from 
thence,  from  wives  and  men.  Merrily  they  rode  away 
to  Swabia.   Thither  Gemot    bade  his  knights    escort 


HOW  THE   MESSAGE  WAS   BROUGHT         201 

them,  that  none  might  do  them  harm.  When  they 
parted  from  those  who  should  have  them  in  their  care, 
Etzel's  power  did  guard  them  on  all  their  ways,  so 
that  none  bereft  them  of  either  horse  or  trappings. 
With  great  speed  they  hasted  towards  Etzel's  land. 
To  all  the  friends  they  wot  of,  they  made  known  that 
in  a  short  time  the  Burgundians  would  come  hither 
from  the  Rhine  to  the  Hunnish  land.  To  the  Bishop 
Pilgrim  too,  the  tale  was  told.  As  they  rode  adown 
the  highway  before  Bechelaren,  men  delayed  not  to 
tell  Riideger  and  Gotelind,  the  margrave's  wife.  Merry 
she  grew  that  she  should  see  them.  Men  saw  the  min- 
strels hasting  with  the  tidings.  They  found  King  Etzel 
in  the  town  of  Gran.1  Greeting  after  greeting  they 
gave  the  king,  of  which  full  many  had  been  sent  him. 
He  blushed  for  very  joy. 

Happy  of  mood  was  the  queen,  when  she  heard  the 
tale  aright  that  her  brothers  should  come  into  the  land. 
She  gave  the  minstrels  great  gifts  as  meed.  This  was 
done  for  honor's  sake.  She  spake  :  "  Now  tell  me,  both 
of  you,  Werbel  and  Swemmel,  which  of  my  kin  are 
minded  to  be  at  the  feast  ?  Will  the  best  of  those  we 
bade  come  hither  to  this  land?  Pray  tell  me  what 
Hagen  said  when  he  heard  the  tale." 

The  minstrel  answered  :  "  He  came  on  a  morning 
early  to  the  council,  and  but  little  of  fair  speech  he 
spake  thereby.  When  they  pledged  the  journey  hither 
to  the  Hunnish  lands,  that  was  as  words  of  death  to 
the  wrathful  Hagen.  Your  brothers,  the  three  kings, 
will  come  in  lordly  mood.  Whoever  else  may  come, 
this  tale  I  know  not  of  a  surety.  The  brave  minstrel 
Folker  vowed  to  ride  along." 


202  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  Little  do  I  reck,"  spake  the  queen,  "  whether  I  ever 
see  Folker  here.  Of  Hagen  I  be  fond,  he  is  a  doughty 
hero.  My  spirits  stand  high  that  we  may  see  him 
here." 

Then  the  queen  went  to  where  she  saw  the  king. 
How  lovingly  Dame  Kriemhild  spake :  "  How  like 
you  these  tales,  dear  my  lord?  What  I  have  ever 
craved,  shall  now  be  brought  to  pass." 

"  Thy  wish  is  my  joy,"  spake  then  the  king.  "Never 
have  I  been  so  blithe  of  mine  own  kin,  when  they 
should  come  hither  to  my  lands.  Through  the  kindness 
of  thy  kinsmen  my  care  hath  fled  away." 

King  Etzel's  officers  bade  everywhere  palace  and 
hall  be  purveyed  with  benches  for  the  guests  which 
were  to  come.  Thereafter  the  king  heard  from  them 
mickle  weeping. 


ADVENTURE  XXV 

HOW  THE  LORDS  ALL  JOURNEYED  TO  THE  HUNS 

Now  let  us  leave  the  tale  of  how  they  lived  at  Etzel's 
court.  More  high-mettled  warriors  never  rode  in  such 
lordly  wise  to  the  land  of  any  king  ;  they  had  what- 
ever they  listed,  both  of  weapons  and  of  weeds.  The 
ruler  of  the  Rhineland  clad  his  men,  a  thousand  and 
sixty1  knights,  as  I  have  heard,  and  nine  thousand 
footmen,  for  the  courtly  feast.  Those  they  left  at 
home  bewailed  it  in  after  time.  The  trappings  were 
now  borne  across  the  court  at  Worms  ;  then  spake  an 
aged  bishop  from  Speyer  to  fair  Uta  :  "  Our  friends 
would  journey  to  the  feasting.  May  God  preserve 
their  honor  there." 

The  noble  Lady  Uta  then  spake  to  her  sons  :  "  Pray 
tarry  here,  good  knights.  Me-dreamed  last  night  of 
direst  woe,  how  all  the  fowls  in  this  land  lay  dead." 

"  Who  recketh  aught  of  dreams,"  quoth  Hagen, 
"  he  wotteth  not  how  to  say  the  proper  words,  when 
't  would  bring  him  great  store  of  honors.  I  wish  that 
my  lord  go  to  court  to  take  his  leave.  We  must  gladly 
ride  to  Etzel's  land.  The  arms  of  doughty  heroes  may 
serve  kings  there  full  well,  where  we  shall  behold 
Kriemhild's  feast." 

Hagen  counseled  the  journey,  but  later  it  rued  him 
sore.  He  would  have  advised  against  it,  but  that  Ger- 
not  encountered  him  with  such  rude  words.  Of  Sieg- 
fried, Lady  Kriemhild's  husband,  he  minded  him  ;  he 


204  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

spake :  "  Because  of  him  Hagen  will  not  make  tlie 
journey  to  the  court." 

At  this  Hagen  of  Troneg  spake  :  "  I  do  it  not  from 
fear.  Heroes,  when  it  please  you,  begin  the  work. 
Certes  I  will  gladly  ride  with  you  to  Etzel's  land." 
Later  he  carved  to  pieces  many  a  helm  and  shield. 

The  skiffs  were  now  made  ready  ;  many  a  knight 
stood  there.  Thither  men  bare  whatever  clothes  they 
had.  Busy  they  were  until  the  even  tide,  then  full 
merrily  they  set  forth  from  home.  Tents  and  pavilions 
were  raised  upon  the  green  beyond  the  Rhine.  When 
this  had  happed,  the  king  bade  his  fair  wife  tarry  with 
him.  That  night  she  still  embraced  her  stately  knight. 
Trumpeting  and  fluting  rose  early  on  the  morn,  as  sign 
that  they  should  ride.  Then  to  the  work  they  went. 
Whoso  held  in  his  arms  his  love  caressed  the  fair. 
Later  King  Etzel's  wife  parted  them  with  woe. 

Fair  Uta's  sons,  they  had  a  liegeman,  brave  and 
true.  When  they  would  hence,  he  spake  to  the  king 
in  secret  wise  his  mind.  Quoth  he  :  "I  must  bewail 
that  ye  make  this  journey  to  the  court."  He  was  hight 
Rumolt  and  was  a  hero  of  his  hands.  He  spake  :  "  To 
whom  will  ye  leave  your  folk  and  lands  ?  O  that  none 
can  turn  you  warriors  from  your  mind  !  These  tidings 
from  Kriemhild  have  never  thought  me  good." 

"  Be  the  land  and  my  little  child,  too,  commended 
to  thy  care ;  serve  well  the  ladies,  that  is  my  wish. 
Comfort  any  thou  dost  see  in  tears.  Certes  King  Et- 
zel's bride  will  never  do  us  harm." 

The  steeds  were  now  ready  for  the  kings  and  their 
men.  Many  a  one  who  lived  there  high  of  spirit, 
parted  thence  with  loving  kisses.  This  many  a  stately 


THE  LORDS  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HUNS   205 

dame  must  later  needs  bewail.  When  the  doughty 
knights  were  seen  go  toward  the  steeds,  men  spied 
full  many  ladies  standing  sadly  there.  Their  hearts 
did  tell  them  that  this  long  parting  boded  them  great 
harm.  This  doth  never  ease  the  heart. 

The  doughty  Burgundians  started  on  their  way. 
Then  in  the  land  a  mighty  turmoil  rose  ;  on  either 
side  of  the  mountains  there  wept  both  men  and  wives. 
But  however  the  folk  might  bear  them,  the  knights 
jogged  merrily  along.  With  them  rode  the  men  of 
Nibelung,  a  thousand  hauberks  strong,  who  had  left 
many  comely  dames  at  home  whom  they  never  saw 
again.  Siegfried's  wounds  gave  Kriemhild  pain. 

Gunther's  liegemen  now  wended  their  way  towards 
the  river  Main,  up  through  Eastern  Frankland.1 
Thither  Hagen  led  them,  for  well  he  wot  the  way. 
Dankwart  was  their  marshal,  the  hero  from  Burgun- 
dian  land.  As  they  rode  away  from  the  Eastern  Frank- 
land  towards  Swanfield,2  men  could  tell  the  princes 
and  their  kin,  the  worshipful  knights,  by  their  lordly 
bearing.  On  the  twelfth  morning  the  king  came  to 
the  Danube.  Hagen  of  Troneg  rode  foremost  of  them 
all,  giving  to  the  Nibelungs  helpful  cheer.  On  the 
sandy  shore  the  bold  knight  dismounted  and  bound 
his  steed  full  soon  to  a  tree.  The  river  was  swollen, 
the  skiffs  hidden  away.  Great  fear  the  Nibelungs  had, 
as  to  how  they  might  come  across,  for  the  stream  was 
much  too  broad.  Full  many  a  lusty  knight  alighted 
on  the  ground. 

"  111  may  it  lightly  hap  with  thee  here,"  quoth 
Hagen,  "  O  ruler  of  the  Rhine.  Now  mayst  thou  thy- 
self   see  the    river    is    swollen,    its    flood   is  mighty. 


200  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Certes,  I  ween,  we  shall  lose  here  many  a  worthy 
knight  to-day." 

"  Why  dost  thou  rebuke  me,  Hagen  ?  "  spake  the 
lordly  king.  "For  thine  own  prowess'  sake  discomfit  me 
no  more,  but  seek  us  the  ford  across  to  the  other  bank, 
that  we  may  take  hence  both  steeds  and  trappings." 

"  Forsooth,"  quoth  Hagen,  "  I  be  not  so  weary  of 
life,  that  I  would  drown  me  in  these  broad  waves. 
Sooner  shall  men  die  by  my  hands  in  Etzel's  lands. 
That  will  I  well.  Stay  by  the  water's  side,  ye  proud 
knights  and  good,  and  I  will  seek  the  ferryman  my- 
self along  the  stream,  who  shall  ferry  us  across  to 
Gelf  rat's1  land." 

Then  the  stalwart  Hagen  seized  his  good  shield. 
Well  was  he  armed.  The  shield  he  bare  along,  his 
helmet  bound  upon  his  head,  bright  enow  it  was. 
Above  his  breastplate  he  bare  a  sword  so  broad  that 
most  fiercely  it  cut  on  either  edge.  To  and  fro  he 
sought  the  ferryman.  He  heard  the  splash  of  water 
and  began  to  listen.  In  a  fair  spring  wise  women 2 
were  bathing  for  to  cool  them  off.  Now  Hagen  spied 
them  and  crept  toward  them  stealthily.  When  they 
grew  ware  of  this,  they  hurried  fast  to  escape  him  ; 
glad  enow  they  were  of  this.  The  hero  took  their 
clothes,  but  did  them  naught  else  of  harm. 

Then  spake  one  of  the  mermaids  (Hadburg  she  was 
called)  :  "  Sir  Knight  Hagen,  we  '11  do  you  here  to  wit, 
an'  ye  give  us  our  weeds  again,  bold  knight,  how  ye 
will  fare  upon  this  journey  to  the  Hunnish  court." 

Like  birds  they  floated  before  him  on  the  flood. 
Therefore  him-thought  their  senses  strong  and  good  ; 
he  believed  the  more  what  they  would  tell  him.   Well 


THE  LORDS  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HUNS   207 

they  answered  what  he  craved  of  them.  Hadburg 
spake  again :  "  Ye  may  safely  ride  to  Etzel's  land. 
I'll  stake  my  troth  at  once  as  pledge,  that  heroes 
never  rode  better  to  any  realm  for  such  great  honors. 
Now  believe  that  in  truth." 

In  his  heart  Hagen  was  joyous  at  this  rede.  He 
gave  them  back  their  clothes  and  no  longer  tarried. 
As  they  donned  their  strange  attire,  they  told  him 
rightly  of  the  journey  to  Etzel's  land.  The  other  mer- 
maid spake  (Siegelind  she  hight)  :  "I  will  warn  thee, 
Hagen,  son  of  Aldrian.1  For  the  sake  of  her  weeds 
mine  aunt  hath  lied  to  thee.  An'  thou  comest  to  the 
Huns,  thou  wilt  be  sore  deceived.  Time  is,  that  thou 
shouldst  turn  again,  for  ye  heroes  be  bidden,  that  ye 
may  die  in  Etzel's  land.  Whoso  rideth  hither,  hath 
taken  death  bv  the  hand." 

Answered  Hagen  :  "  Ye  deceive  us  needlessly.  How 
might  it  come  to  pass  that  we  should  all  die  there, 
through  anybody's  hate  ?  " 

Then  gan  they  tell  him  the  tale  still  more  know- 
ingly. The  same  one  spake  again  :  "  It  must  needs 
be  that  none  of  you  shall  live,  save  the  king's  chap- 
lain ;  this  we  know  full  well.  He  will  come  again  safe 
and  sound  to  Gunther's  land." 

Then  spake  bold  Hagen,  fierce  of  mood :  "  It  were 
not  well  to  tell  my  lords  that  we  should  all  lose  our 
lives  among  the  Huns.  Now  show  us  over  the  stream, 
thou  wisest  of  all  wives." 

She  answered :  "  Sith  ye  will  not  turn  you  from  the 
journey,  up  yonder  where  an  inn  doth  stand,  by  the 
waterside,  there  is  a  ferryman  and  elsewhere  none." 

At  once  he  ceased  to  ask  for  further  tidings.  After 


208  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

the  angry  warrior  she  called :  "  Pray  bide  a  time,  Sir 
Hagen !  Forsooth  ye  are  too  much  in  haste.  List  fur- 
ther to  the  tale  of  how  ye  may  cross  to  the  other 
bank.  The  lord  of  these  marches  beareth  the  name  of 
Else.1  His  brother  is  hight  Knight  Gelfrat,  a  lord  in 
the  Bavarian  land.  'T  will  go  hard  with  you,  an'  ye 
will  cross  his  land.  Ye  must  guard  you  well  and  deal 
full  wisely  with  the  ferryman.  So  grim  of  mood  is  he 
that  he  '11  not  let  you  live,  unless  be  that  ye  have  your 
wits  about  you  with  the  knight.  An'  ye  will  that  he 
guide  you,  then  give  him  his  meed.  He  guardeth  this 
land  and  is  liegeman  unto  Gelfrat.  And  cometh  he 
not  betimes,  so  call  across  the  flood  and  say,  ye  hight 
Amelrich.2  He  was  a  doughty  hero  that  because  of  a 
feud  did  void  this  land.  The  ferryman  will  come  when 
he  heareth  this  name." 

Haughty  Hagen  bowed  then  to  the  dames ;  he  spake 
no  more,  but  held  his  peace.  Then  by  the  river  he 
hied  him  higher  up  upon  the  sandy  shore,  to  where  he 
found  an  inn  upon  the  other  bank.  Loudly  he  began 
to  call  across  the  flood :  "  Now  come  and  fetch  me, 
ferryman,"  quoth  the  good  knight,  "  and  I  will  give 
thee  as  meed  an  arm  ring  of  ruddy  gold.  Know,  that 
of  this  passage  I  have  great  need  in  truth." 

So  noble  was  the  ferryman  that  it  behooved  him 
not  to  serve,  therefore  he  full  seldom  took  wage  of 
any  wight.  His  squires,  too,  were  full  lofty  of  mood. 
All  this  time  Hagen  still  stood  alone,  this  side  of  the 
flood.  He  called  with  might  and  main,  that  all  the 
water  rang,  for  mickle  and  great  was  the  hero's 
strength.  "Now  fetch  me.  I  am  Amelrich,  Else's  liege- 
man, that  because  of  a  great  feud  did  void  these  lands." 


THE  LORDS  JOURNEY  TO  THE  HUNS   209 

High  upon  his  spear 1  he  offered  him  an  arm  band, 
bright  and  fair  it  was,  of  ruddy  gold,  that  one  should 
ferry  him  over  to  Gelfrat's  land.  The  haughty  ferry- 
man, the  which  was  newly  wed  himself,  did  take  the 
oar  in  hand.  As  he  would  earn  Hagen's  gold  so  red, 
therefore  he  died  the  sword-grim  death  at  the  hands  of 
the  knight.  The  greed  for  great  goods2  doth  give  an 
evil  end.  Speedily  the  boatman  rowed  across  to  the 
sandy  bank.  When  he  found  no  trace  of  him  whose 
name  he  heard,  wroth  he  grew  in  earnest.  When  he 
spied  Hagen,  with  fierce  rage  he  spake  to  the  hero : 
"Ye  may  perchance  hight  Amelrich,  but  ye  are  not 
like  him  whom  I  weened  here.  By  father  and  by 
mother  he  was  my  brother.  Sith  ye  have  bewrayed  me, 
ye  may  stay  on  this  hither  shore." 

"  No,  by  the  mighty  God,"  spake  then  Hagen,  "  I 
am  a  stranger  knight  and  have  warriors  in  my  care. 
Now  take  ye  kindly  my  meed  to-day  and  ferry  me 
over.  I  am  in  truth  your  friend." 

The  ferryman  replied  :  "  This  may  not  be.  My  dear 
lords  have  foes,  wherefore  I  never  ferry  strangers  to 
this  land.  If  ye  love  your  life,  step  out  quickly  on  the 
sand." 

"  Now  do  it  not,"  spake  Hagen  ;  "  sad  is  my  mind. 
Take  this  good  gold  from  me  as  a  token  of  my  love 
and  ferry  us  across  :  a  thousand  horse  and  just  as 
many  men." 

The  grim  boatman  answered :  "  'T  will  ne'er  be 
done."  He  raised  a  mighty  rudder  oar,  mickle  and 
broad,  and  struck  at  Hagen  (full  wroth  he  grew  at 
this),  so  that  he  fell  upon  his  knees  in  the  boat.  The 
lord  of  Troneg  had  never  met  so  fierce  a  ferryman. 


210  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Still  more  the  boatman  would  vex  the  haughty  stranger. 
He  smote  with  an  oar,  so  that  it  quite  to-broke '  over 
Hagen's  head  (a  man  of  might  was  he);  from  this  the 
ferryman  of  Else  took  great  harm.  Hagen,  fierce  of 
mood,  seized  straightway  his  sheath,  wherein  he  found 
his  sword.  His  head  he  struck  off  and  cast  it  on  the 
ground.  Eftsoon  these  tidings  were  made  known  to 
the  proud  Burgundians.  At  the  very  moment  that  he 
slew  the  boatman,  the  skiff  gan  drifting  down  the 
stream.  Enow  that  irked  him.  Weary  he  grew  before 
he  brought  it  back.  King  Gunther's  liegeman  pulled 
with  might  and  main.  With  passing  swift  strokes  the 
stranger  turned  it,  until  the  sturdy  oar  snapped  in  his 
hand.  He  would  hence  to  the  knights  out  upon  the 
shore.  None  other  oar  he  had.  Ho,  how  quickly  he 
bound  it  with  a  shield  strap,  a  narrow  band  !  Towards 
a  wood  he  floated  down  the  stream,  where  he  found 
his  sovran  standing  by  the  shore. 

Many  a  stately  man  went  down  to  meet  him.  The 
doughty  knights  and  good  received  him  with  a  kindly 
greeting.  When  they  beheld  in  the  skiff  the  blood 
reeking  from  a  gaping  wound  which  he  had  dealt  the 
ferryman,  Hagen  was  plied  enow  with  questions  by 
the  knights.  When  that  King  Gunther  spied  the  hoS 
blood  swirling  in  the  skiff,  how  quickly  he  spake: 
"Wherefore  tell  ye  me  not,  Hagen,  whither  the  ferry- 
man be  come?  I  ween  your  prowess  hath  bereft  him 
of  his  life." 

At  this  he  answered  craftily  :  "  When  I  found  the 
skiff  hard  by  a  willow  tree,  I  loosed  it  with  my  hand. 
I  have  seen  no  ferryman  here  to-day,  nor  hath  harm 
happed  to  any  one  through  fault  of  mine." 


THE   LORDS  JOURNEY   TO   THE  HUNS        211 

Then  spake  Sir  Gemot  of  Burgundy :  "  I  must  needs 
fear  the  death  of  dear  friends  to-day.  Sith  we  have  no 
boatmen  here  at  hand,  how  shall  we  come  over? 
Therefore  I  must  perforce  stand  sad." 

Loudly  then  called  Hagen  :  "  Ye  footmen,  lay  the 
trappings  down  upon  the  grass.  I  bethink  me  that 
once  I  was  the  very  best  of  boatmen  that  one  might 
find  along  the  Rhine.  I  trow  to  bring  you  all  safe 
across  to  Gelfrat's  land." 

They  struck  the  horses,  that  these  might  the  sooner 
come  across  the  flood ;  passing  well  they  swam,  for  the 
mighty  waves  bereft  them  of  not  a  one.  Some  few 
drifted  far  adown  the  stream,  as  did  befit  their  weari- 
ness. Then  the  knights  bare  to  the  skiff  their  gold 
and  weeds,  sith  there  was  no  help  for  the  crossing. 
Hagen  played  the  steersman,  and  so  he  ferried  full 
many  mighty  warriors  over  to  the  sandy  shore,  into 
the  unknown  land.  First  he  took  across  a  thousand 
noble  knights,  then  his  own  men-at-arms.  Still  there 
were  more  to  come.  Nine  thousand  footmen  he  ferried 
over  to  the  land.  Aught  but  idle  was  Hagen's  hand 
that  day.  When  he  had  carried  them  all  safe  across 
the  flood,  the  doughty  knight  and  good  bethought  him 
of  the  strange  tales  which  the  wild  mermaids  had  told 
him  afore.  For  this  cause  the  king's  chaplain  near 
lost  his  life.  He  found  the  priest  close  by  the  chapel 
luggage,  leaning  with  his  hand  upon  the  relics.  Little 
might  that  boot  him.  When  Hagen  spied  him,  ill 
fared  it  with  the  hapless  priest ;  he  threw  him  from 
the  skiff  in  haste.  Enow  of  them  called  out :  "  Hold 
on,  Sir  Hagen,  hold !  " 

Giselher,  the  youth,  gan  rage,  but  Hagen  let  none 


212  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

come  between.  Then  spake  Sir  Gemot  of  Burgundy : 
"  What  availeth  you  now,  Hagen,  the  chaplain's  death  ? 
Had  another  done  the  deed,  't  would  have  irked  you 
sore.  For  what  cause  have  ye  sworn  enmity  to  the 
priest?" 

The  clei'k1  now  tried  to  swim  with  might  and  main, 
for  he  would  fain  save  his  life,  if  perchance  any  there 
would  help  him.  That  might  not  be,  for  the  stalwart 
Hagen  was  wroth  of  mood.  He  thrust  him  to  the  bot- 
tom, the  which  thought  no  one  good.  When  the  poor 
priest  saw  naught  of  help,  he  turned  him  back  again. 
Sore  was  he  discomfited,  but  though  he  could  not  swim, 
yet  did  God's  hand  help  him,  so  that  he  came  safe  and. 
sound  to  the  land  again.  There  the  poor  clerk  stood  and 
shook  his  robe.  Hagen  marked  thereby  that  naught 
might  avail  against  the  tidings  which  the  wild  mer- 
maids told  him.  Him-thought :  "  These  knights  must 
lose  their  lives." 

When  the  liegemen  of  the  three  kings  unloaded 
the  skiff  and  had  borne  all  away  which  they  had  upon 
it,  Hagen  brake  it  to  pieces  and  threw  it  in  the  flood, 
at  which  the  bold  knights  and  good  did  marvel  much. 

"  Wherefore  do  ye  that,  brother,"  quoth  Dankwart, 
"  how  shall  we  come  over,  when  we  ride  homeward  from 
the  Huns,  back  to  the  Rhine  ?  " 

Later  Hagen  told  him  that  might  not  be.  The  hero 
of  Troneg  spake :  "  I  do  it  in  the  hope  that  if  we  have 
a  coward  on  this  journey,  who  through  faint-hearted- 
ness  would  run  away,  that  in  this  stream  he  may  die  a 
shameful  death." 

They  had  with  them  from  Burgundy  land  a  hero  of 
his  hands,  the  which  was  named  Folker.  Wisely  he 


THE   LORDS   JOURNEY   TO   THE   HUNS       213 

spake  all  his  mind.  Whatever  Hagen  did,  it  thought 
the  fiddler  good.  Their  steeds  were  now  ready,  the 
sumpters  laden  well.  On  the  journey  they  had  taken  no 
harm  that  irked  them,  save  the  king's  chaplain  alone. 
He  must  needs  wander  back  on  foot  to  the  Rhine  again. 


ADVENTURE    XXVI » 

HOW    GELFRAT    WAS    SLAIN    BY    DANKWART 

Now  when  all  were  come  upon  the  shore,  the  king  gan 
ask :  "  Who  will  show  us  the  right  roads  through  this 
land,  that  we  go  not  astray  ?  " 

Then  the  sturdy  Folker  spake  :  "  For  this  I  alone  will 
have  a  care." 

"  Now  hold,"  quoth  Hagen,  "both  knight  and  squire. 
Certes,  me-thinketh  right  that  we  should  heed  our 
friends.  With  full  monstrous  tales  I  '11  make  you 
acquaint :  we  shall  never  come  again  to  the  Burgun- 
dian  land.  Two  mermaids  told  me  early  in  the  morning 
that  we  should  not  come  back  again.  I  will  now  counsel 
you  what  ye  do :  ye  must  arm  you,  ye  heroes,  for  we 
have  mighty  foes.  Ye  must  guard  you  well  and  ride 
in  warlike  guise.  I  thought  to  catch  these  mermaids 
in  a  lie.  They  swore  that  none  of  us  would  come  home 
safe  and  sound,  save  the  chaplain  alone.  Therefore 
would  I  fain  have  drowned  him  to-day." 

These  tidings  flew  from  band  to  band  and  valiant 
heroes  grew  pale  from  woe,  as  they  began  to  fear  a  grew- 
some  death  on  this  journey  to  Etzel's  court.  Forsooth 
they  had  great  need.  When  they  had  crossed  at  Moer- 
ing,2  where  Else's  ferryman  had  lost  his  life,  Hagen 
spake  again :  "  Sith  I  have  gained  me  foes  upon  the  way, 
we  shall  surely  be  encountered.  I  slew  this  same  ferry- 
man early  on  the  morn  to-day.  Well  they  wot  the  tale. 
Now  lay  on  boldly,  so  that  it  may  go  hard  with  Gelfrat 


HOW  GELFRAT  WAS   SLAIN"  BY   DANKWART    215 

and  Else,  should  they  match  our  fellowship  here  to-day. 
I  know  them  to  be  so  bold  that 't  will  not  be  left  undone. 
Let  the  steeds  jog  on  more  gently,  that  none  ween  we 
be  a-fleeing  on  the  road." 

"  This  counsel  I  will  gladly  follow,"  quoth  Giselher, 
the  knight ;  "  but  who  shall  guide  the  fellowship  across 
the  land?" 

They  answered :  "  This  let  Folker  do  ;  the  valiant 
minstrel  knoweth  both  road  and  path." 

Ere  the  wish  was  fully  spoken,  men  saw  the  doughty 
fiddler  standing  there  well  armed.  On  his  head  he  bound 
his  helmet,  of  lordly  color  was  his  fighting  gear.  On  his 
spear  shaft  he  tied  a  token,  the  which  was  red.  Later 
with  the  kings  he  fell  into  direst  need. 

Trustworthy  tidings  of  the  ferryman's  death  were 
now  come  to  Gelfrat's  ears.  The  mighty  Else  had  also 
heard  the  tale.  Loth  it  was  to  both  ;  they  sent  to  fetch 
their  heroes,  who  soon  stood  ready.  In  a  passing  short 
time,  as  I  '11  let  you  hear,  one  saw  riding  towards  them 
those  who  had  wrought  scathe  and  monstrous  wounds 
in  mighty  battles.  Full  seven  hundred  or  more  were 
come  to  G  elf  rat.  When  they  began  to  ride  after  their 
savage  foes,  their  lords  did  lead  them,  of  a  truth.  A 
deal  too  strong  they  hasted  after  the  valiant  strangers  ; 
they  would  avenge  their  wrath.  Therefore  many  of  the 
lordings'  friends  were  later  lost. 

Hagen  of  Tronog  had  well  planned  it  (how  might 
a  hero  ever  guard  his  kinsmen  better),  that  he  had  in 
charge  the  rear  guard,  with  his  liegemen  and  his  bro- 
ther Dankwart.  This  was  wisely  done. 

The  day  had  passed  away ;  the  night  was  come.  For 
his  friends  he  feared  both  harm  and  woe,  as  beneath 


216  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

their  shields  they  rode  through  the  Bavarian  land.  A 
short  time  thereafter  the  heroes  were  assailed.  On 
either  side  of  the  highway  and  in  the  rear  hard  by 
they  heard  the  beat  of  hoofs.  Their  foes  pressed  on 
too  hard.  Then  spake  bold  Dankwart :  "  They  purpose 
to  attack  us  here,  so  bind  on  your  helmets,  for  that 
be  well  to  do." 

They  stayed  their  journey,  as  though  it  must  needs 
be ;  in  the  gloom  they  spied  the  gleam  of  shining  shields. 
Hagen  would  no  longer  keep  his  peace ;  he  called :  "  Who 
chase th  us  upon  the  highway  ?  " 

To  this  Gelfrat  must  needs  give  answer.  Quoth  the 
margrave  of  Bavaria  :  "  We  seek  our  foes  and  have  gal- 
loped on  behind  you.  I  know  not  who  slew  my  ferry- 
man to-day,  but  it  doth  rue  me  enow,  for  he  was  a  hero 
of  his  hands." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "And  was  then  the  fer- 
ryman thine  ?  The  fault  was  mine,  he  would  not  ferry  us 
over,  so  I  slew  the  knight.  Forsooth  I  had  great  need, 
for  I  had  sheer  gained  at  his  hands  my  death.  As  meed 
I  offered  him  gold  and  trappings,  that  he  ferry  me 
across  to  thy  land,  Sir  Knight.  This  angered  him  so 
greatly  that  he  smote  me  with  a  mighty  oar.  At  this  I 
waxed  grim  enow.  I  seized  my  sword  and  fended  him 
his  anger  with  a  grievous  wound.  Thus  the  hero  met 
his  death.  I  '11  make  amends,  as  doth  think  thee  best." 

"  Well  I  wist,"  spake  Gelfrat,  "■  when  Gunther  and 
his  fellowship  rode  hither,  that  Hagen  of  Troneg  would 
do  us  harm.  Now  he  shall  not  live;  the  knight  must 
stand  for  the  ferryman's  life." 

Over  the  bucklers  Gelfrat  and  Hagen  couched  their 
spears  for  the  thrust ;  each  would  charge  the  other. 


HOW  GELFRAT  WAS   SLAIN   BY   DANKWART    217 

Else  and  Dankwart  rode  full  gloriously ;  they  tested 
who  they  were,  fierce  was  the  fight.  How  might  heroes 
ever  jarove  each  other  better  ?  From  a  mighty  thrust 
Hagen  was  unhorsed  by  Gelfrat's  hand.  His  martin- 
gale snapped,  he  learnt  what  it  was  to  fall.  The  crash 
of  shafts  resounded  from  their  fellowship.  Hagen, 
who  from  the  thrust  afore  had  come  to  earth,  down  on 
the  grass,  sprang  up  again.  I  trow,  he  was  not  gentle 
of  mood  towards  Gelfrat  then.  Who  held  their  steeds, 
I  know  not ;  both  Hagen  and  Gelfrat  had  alighted  on 
the  sand  and  rushed  together.  Their  fellowship  helped 
thereby  and  became  acquaint  with  strife.  Albeit  Hagen 
sprang  at  Gelfrat  fiercely,  the  noble  margrave  smote 
from  his  shield  a  mickle  piece,  so  that  the  sparks  flew 
wide.  Full  nigh  did  Gunther's  liegeman  die  therefrom. 
He  began  to  call  to  Dankwart:  uO  help,  dear  brother! 
Certes,  a  hero  of  his  hands  hath  matched  me,  he  will 
not  spare  my  life." 

At  this  bold  Dankwart  spake  :  "  I  '11  play  the  um- 
pire here." 

The  hero  then  sprang  nearer  and  with  a  sharp 
sword  smote  Gelfrat  such  a  blow  that  he  fell  down 
dead.  Else  then  would  fain  avenge  the  knight,  but  he 
and  his  fellowship  parted  from'  the  fray  with  scathe. 
His  brother  had  been  slain,  he  himself  was  wounded ; 
full  eighty  of  his  knights  remained  with  grim  death 
behind  upon  the  field.  Their  lord  must  needs  turn  in 
flight  from  Gunther's  men. 

When  those  from  the  Bavarian  land  gave  way  and 
fled,  one  heard  the  savage  blows  resound  behind  them. 
Those  of  Troneg  chased  their  foes  ;  they  were  in  pass- 
ing haste,  who  had  not  weened  to  make  amends.  Then 


218  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

spake  Dankwart,  the  knight,  in  their  pursuit :  "  Let 
us  turn  soon  on  this  road  and  let  them  ride,  for  they 
be  wet  with  blood.  Haste  we  to  our  friends,  this  I 
advise  you  of  a  truth." 

When  they  were  come  again,  where  the  scathe  had 
happed,  Hagen  of  Troneg  spake  :  "  Heroes,  prove  now 
what  doth  fail  us  here,  or  whom  we  have  lost  in  the 
strife  through  Gelfrat's  wrath." 

Four  they  had  lost  whom  they  must  needs  bewail. 
But  they  had  been  paid  for  dearly  ;  for  them  a  hun- 
dred or  better  from  the  Bavarian  land  were  slain. 
From  their  blood  the  shields  of  the  men  of  Troneg 
were  dimmed  and  wet.  Through  the  clouds  there  partly 
broke  the  gleam  of  the  shining  moon,  as  Hagen  spake 
again :  "  Let  none  make  known  to  my  dear  lords  what 
we  have  wrought  here  to-day.  Let  them  rest  without 
care  until  the  morn." 

When  those  who  just  had  fought  were  now  come 
again,  the  fellowship  was  full  weary  from  the  way. 
"  How  long  must  we  still  ride  ?  "  asked  many  a  man. 

Then  spake  the  bold  Dankwart :  "  We  may  not  find 
lodgings  here,  ye  must  all  ride  until  the  day  be  come." 

The  doughty  Folker,  who  had  charge  of  the  fellow- 
ship, bade  ask  the  marshal :  "  Where  may  we  find  a 
place  to-night,  where  our  steeds  may  rest  and  our  dear 
lords  as  well  ?  " 

Bold  Dankwart  answered  :  "  I  cannot  tell  you  that, 
we  may  not  rest  till  it  begin  to  dawn.  Wherever  then 
we  find  a  chance,  we'  11  lay  us  down  upon  the  grass." 

How  loth  it  was  to  some  when  they  heard  this  tale ! 
They  remained  unmarked  with  their  stains  of  warm 
red  blood,  until  the  sun  shot  his  gleaming  light  against 


HOW  GELFRAT  WAS  SLAIN   BY   DANKWART    219 

the  morn  across  the  hills.  Then  the  king  beheld  that 
they  had  fought.  Wratkfully  the  hero  spake :  "  How 
now,  friend  Hagen  ?  I  ween,  ye  scorned  to  have  me 
with  you  when  your  rings  grew  wet  with  blood  ?  Who 
hath  done  this?" 

Quoth  he :  "  This  Else  did,  who  encountered  us  by 
night.  We  were  attacked  because  of  his  ferryman. 
Then  my  brother's  hand  smote  Gelf  rat  down.  Else  soon 
escaped  us,  constrained  thereto  by  mickle  need.  A  hun- 
dred of  them  and  but  four  of  ours  lay  dead  in  the  strife." 

We  cannot  tell  you  where  they  laid  them  down  to 
rest.  All  of  the  folk  of  the  land  learned  soon  that  the 
sons  of  the  noble  Uta  rode  to  court.  Later  they  were 
well  received  at  Passau.  The  uncle  of  the  noble  king, 
the  Bishop  Pilgrim,  was  blithe  of  mood,  as  his  nephews 
came  to  his  land  with  so  many  knights.  That  he  bare 
them  good  will,  they  learned  full  soon.  Well  were 
they  greeted,  too,  by  friends  along  the  way,  sith  men 
could  not  lodge  them  all  at  Passau.  They  had  to  cross 
the  stream  to  where  they  found  a  field  on  which  they 
set  up  pavilions  and  costly  tents.  All  one  day  they 
must  needs  stay  there,  and  a  full  night  too.  What 
good  cheer  men  gave  them  !  After  that  they  had  to 
ride  to  Riideger's  land,  to  whom  the  tidings  were 
brought  full  soon.  When  the  way-worn  warriors  had 
rested  them  and  came  nearer  to  the  Hunnish  land, 
they  found  a  man  asleep  upon  the  border,  from  whom 
Hagen  of  Troneg  won  a  sturdy  sword.  The  same  good 
knight  hight  Eckewart '  in  truth ;  sad  of  mood  he 
grew,  that  he  lost  his  weapon  through  the  journey  of  the 
knights.  They  found  Riideger's  marches  guarded  ill. 
"  Woe  is  me  of  this  shame,"  spake  Eckewart.  "  Certes 


220  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

this  journey  of  the  Burgundians  rueth  me  full  sore. 
My  joy  hath  fled,  sith  I  lost  Knight  Siegfried.  Alas, 
Sir  Rudeger,  how  I  have  acted  toward  thee  !  " 

When  Hagen  heard  the  noble  warrior's  plight,  he 
gave  him  back  his  sword  and  six  red  arm  bands.  "  These 
keep,  Sir  Knight,  as  a  token  that  thou  art  my  friend. 
A  bold  knight  thou  art,  though  thou  standest  alone 
upon  the  marches." 

"  God  repay  you  for  your  arm  bands,"  Eckewart 
replied.  "  Yet  your  journey  to  the  Huns  doth  rue  me 
sore.  Because  ye  slew  Siegfried,  men  hate  you  here.  I 
counsel  you  in  truth,  that  ye  guard  you  well." 

"  Now  may  God  protect  us,"  answered  Hagen. 
"  These  knights,  the  kings  and  their  liegemen,  have 
forsooth  no  other  care,  save  for  their  lodgement,  where 
we  may  find  quarters  in  this  land  to-night.  Our  steeds 
be  spent  by  the  distant  way  and  our  food  run  out," 
quoth  Hagen,  the  knight.  "  We  find  naught  anywhere 
for  sale,  and  have  need  of  a  host,  who  through  his 
courtesie  would  give  us  of  his  bread  to-night." 

Then  Eckewart  made  answer :  "  I  '11  show  you  a 
host  so  good  that  full  seldom  have  ye  been  lodged  so 
well  in  any  land,  as  here  may  hap  you,  an'  ye  will  seek 
out  Rudeger,  ye  doughty  knights.  He  dwelleth  by  the 
highway  and  is  the  best  host  that  ever  owned  a  house. 
His  heart  giveth  birth  to  courtesie,  as  the  sweet  May 
doth  to  grass  and  flowers.  He  is  aye  merry  of  mood, 
when  he  can  serve  good  knights." 

At  this  King  Gunther  spake  :  "  Will  ye  be  my  mes- 
senger and  ask  whether  my  dear  friend  Rudeger  will 
for  my  sake  keep  us,  my  kinsmen  and  our  men  ?  I  will 
repay  thee  this,  as  best  I  ever  can." 


HOW  GELFRAT  WAS   SLAIN   BY  DANKWART    221 

"  Gladly  will  I  be  the  messenger,"  Eckewart  re- 
plied. With  a  right  good  will  he  gat  him  on  the  road 
and  told  Riideger  the  message  he  had  heard,  to  whom 
none  such  pleasing  news  had  come  in  many  a  day. 

At  Bechelaren  men  saw  a  knight  pricking  fast.  Riide- 
ger himself  descried  him ;  he  spake :  "  Upon  the  road 
yonder  hasteth  Eckewart,  a  liegeman  of  Kriemhild." 

He  weened  the  foes  had  done  him  scathe.  Before 
the  gate  he  went  to  meet  the  messenger,  who  ungirt  his 
sword  and  laid  it  from  his  hand.  The  tales  he  brought 
were  not  hidden  from  the  host  and  his  friends,  but 
were  straightway  told  them.  To  the  margrave  he  spake: 
"  Gunther,  the  lord  of  the  Burgundian  land,  and  Gisel- 
her,  his  brother,  and  Gemot,  too,  have  sent  me  hither 
to  you.  Each  of  the  warriors  tendered  you  his  service. 
Hagen  and  Folker,  too,  eagerty  did  the  same  in  truth. 
Still  more  I  '11  tell  you,  that  the  king's  marshal  sendeth 
you  by  me  the  message,  that  the  good  knights  have 
passing  need  of  your  lodgement." 

Riideger  answered  with  a  smile  :  "  Now  well  is  me 
of  these  tales,  that  the  high-born  kings  do  reck  of  my 
service.  It  shall  not  be  denied  them.  Merry  and  blithe 
shall  I  be,  an'  they  come  unto  my  house." 

"  Dankwart,  the  marshal,  bade  let  you  know  whom 
ye  should  lodge  in  your  house  with  them :  sixty  doughty 
champions,  a  thousand  good  knights,  and  nine  thousand 
men-at-arms." 

Men*y  of  mood  grew  Riideger ;  he  spake  :  "  Now 
well  is  me  of  these  guests,  that  these  noble  warriors  be 
coming  to  my  house,  whom  I  have  served  as  yet  full 
seldom.  Now  ride  ye  forth  for  to  meet  them,  my  kins- 
men and  my  men." 


222  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

Knights  and  squires  now  hied  them  to  their  horses  ; 
it  thought  them  right,  which  their  lord  did  bid.  All 
the  more  they  hasted  with  their  service.  As  yet  Lady 
Gotelind  wist  it  not,  who  sate  within  her  bower. 


ADVENTURE     XXVII 

HOW    THEY    CAME    TO    BECHELAREN 

Then  the  margrave  went  to  where  he  found  the  ladies, 
his  wife  with  his  daughter,  and  told  them  straightway 
the  pleasing  tidings  he  had  heard,  that  the  brothers  of 
their  lady  were  coining  thither  to  their  house.  "My 
dearest  love,"  quoth  Rudeger,  "ye  must  receive  full 
well  the  noble  high-born  kings,  when  they  come  here 
to  court  with  their  fellowship.  Ye  must  give  fair  greet- 
ing, too,  to  Hagen,  Gunther's  man.  With  them  there 
cometh  one  also,  hight  Dankwart ;  the  other  is  named 
Folker,  well  beseen  with  courtesie.  Ye  and  my  daugh- 
ter must  kiss  these  and  abide  by  the  knights  with  gen- 
tle breeding."  This  the  ladies  vowed  ;  quite  ready  they 
were  to  do  it.  From  the  chests  they  hunted  out  the 
lordly  robes  in  which  they  would  go  to  meet  the  war- 
riors. Fair  dames  were  passing  busy  on  that  day.  Men 
saw  but  little  of  false  colors  on  the  ladies'  cheeks  ;  upon 
their  heads  they  wore  bright  bands  of  gold.  Rich  chap- 
lets1  these  were,  that  the  winds  might  not  dishevel  their 
comely  hair,  and  this  is  true  i'  faith. 

Let  us  now  leave  the  ladies  with  these  tasks.  Much 
hasting  over  the  plain  was  done  by  Rudeger's  friends, 
to  where  one  found  the  lordings,  whom  men  then  re- 
ceived well  into  the  margrave's  land.  When  the  mar- 
grave, the  doughty  Rudeger,  saw  them  coming  toward 
him,  how  joyfully  he  spake  :  "Be  ye  welcome,  fair  sirs, 
and  your  liegemen,  too.    I  be  fain  to  see  you  in  my 


224  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

land."  Low  obeisance  the  knights  then  made,  in  good 
faith,  without  all  hate.  That  he  bare  them  all  good 
will,  he  showed  full  well.  Hagen  he  gave  a  special  greet- 
ing, for  him  had  he  known  of  yore.1  To  Folker  from 
Burgundy  land  he  did  the  same.  Dankwart  he  wel- 
comed, too.  The  bold  knight  spake  :  "  Sith  ye  will  pur- 
vey us  knights,  who  shall  have  a  care  for  our  men-at- 
arms  whom  we  have  brought  ?  " 

Quoth  the  margrave :  "  A  good  night  shall  ye  have 
and  all  your  fellowship.  I  '11  purvey  such  guard  for 
whatever  ye  have  brought  with  you,  of  steeds  and  trap- 
pings, that  naught  shall  be  lost,  that  might  bring  you 
harm,  not  even  a  single  spur.  Ye  footmen  pitch  the 
tents  upon  the  plain.  What  ye  lose  I  '11  pay  in  full. 
Take  off  the  bridles,  let  the  horses  run." 

Seldom  had  host  done  this  for  them  afore.  Therefore 
the  guests  made  merry.  When  that  was  done,  the  lord- 
ings  rode  away  and  the  footmen  laid  them  everywhere 
upon  the  grass.  Good  ease  they  had ;  I  ween,  they 
never  fared  so  gently  on  the  way.  The  noble  margravine 
with  her  fair  daughter  was  come  out  before  the  castle. 
One  saw  stand  by  her  side  the  lovely  ladies  and  many 
a  comely  maid.  Great  store  of  armlets  and  princely 
robes  they  wore.  The  precious  stones  gleamed  afar 
from  out  their  passing  costly  weeds.  Fair  indeed  were 
they  fashioned. 

Then  came  the  guests  and  alighted  there  straightway. 
Ho,  what  great  courtesie  one  found  among  the  Bur- 
gundian  men!  Six  and  thirty  maids  and  many  other 
dames,  whose  persons  were  wrought  as  fair  as  heart 
could  wish,  went  forth  to  meet  them  with  many  a 
valiant  man.  Fair  greetings  were  given  there  by  noble 


HOW  THEY   CAME   TO   BECHELAREN         225 

dames.  Tlie  young  margravine  kissed  all  three  kings, 
as  did  her  mother,  too.  Close  at  hand  stood  Hagen. 
Her  father  bade  her  kiss  him,  but  when  she  gazed  upon 
him,  he  seemed  so  fearful  that  she  had  fain  left  it 
undone.  Yet  she  must  needs  perform  what  the  host 
now  bade  her  do.  Her  color  changed  first  pale  then  red. 
Dankwart,  too,  she  kissed,  and  then  the  minstrel.  For 
his  great  prowess  was  this  greeting  given.  The  young 
margravine  took  by  the  hand  Knight  Giselher  of  the 
Burgundian  land.  The  same  her  mother  did  to  Gunther, 
the  valiant  man.  Full  merrily  they  went  hence  with 
the  heroes.  The  host  walked  at  Gernot's  side  into  a 
broad  hall,  where  the  knights  and  ladies  sate  them 
down.  Soon  they  bade  pour  out  for  the  guests  good 
wine.  Certes,  heroes  might  never  be  better  purveyed 
than  they.  Riideger's  daughter  was  gazed  upon  with 
loving  glances,  so  fair  she  was.  Forsooth  many  a  good 
knight  caressed  her  in  his  mind.  And  well  did  she  de- 
serve this,  so  high  she  was  of  mood.  The  knights  thought 
what  they  would,  but  it  might  not  come  to  pass.  Back 
and  forth  shot  the  glances  at  maids  and  dames.  Of 
them  sate  there  enow.  The  noble  fiddler  bare  the  host 
good  will. 

Then  they  parted  after  the  custom,  knights  and  la- 
dies going  to  different  sides.  In  the  broad  hall  they 
set  up  the  tables  and  served  the  strangers  in  lordly  wise. 
For  the  sake  of  the  guests  the  noble  margravine  went 
to  table,  but  let  her  daughter  stay  with  the  maidens, 
where  she  sate  by  right.  The  guests  saw  naught  of  her, 
which  irked  them  sore,  in  truth. 

When  they  had  eaten  and  drunk  on  every  side,  men 
brought  the  fair  again  into  the  hall;  nor  were  merry 


226  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 


speeches  left  unsaid.  Many  such  spake  Folker,  this 
brave  and  lusty  knight.  Before  them  all  the  noble  min- 
strel spake:  "Mighty  margrave,  God  hath  dealt  full 
graciously  with  you,  for  he  hath  given  you  a  passing 
comely  wife  and  thereto  a  life  of  joy.  An'  I  were  a 
prince,"  quoth  the  minstrel,  "  and  should  wear  a  crown, 
I  would  fain  have  to  wife  your  comely  daughter.  This 
my  heart  doth  wish.  She  is  lovely  for  to  see,  thereto 
noble  and  good." 

Then  answered  the  margrave :  "  How  might  that  be, 
that  king  should  ever  crave  the  dear  daughter  of  mine  ? 
My  wife  and  I  are  exiles  ;  what  booteth  in  such  case 
the  maiden's  passing  comeliness  ?  " 

To  this  Gemot,  the  well-bred  man,  made  answer: 
"  An'  I  might  have  a  love  after  mine  own  desire,  I 
should  be  ever  glad  of  such  a  wife." 

Hagen,  too,  replied  in  full  kindly  wise :  "  My  lord 
Giselher  must  take  a  wife.  The  margravine  is  of  such 
high  kin  that  I  and  all  his  liegemen  would  gladly  serve 
her,  should  she  wear  a  crown  in  Burgundy  land." 

This  speech  thought  Riideger  passing  good,  and 
Gotelind  too,  indeed  it  joyed  their  mood.  Then  the  he- 
roes brought  to  pass  that  the  noble  Giselher  took  her  to 
wife,  as  did  well  befit  a  king.  "Who  may  part  what  shall 
be  joined  together?  Men  prayed  the  margravine  to  go 
to  court,  and  swore  to  give  him  the  winsome  maid.  He, 
too,  vowed  to  wed  the  lovely  fair.  For  the  maiden  they 
set  castles  and  land  aside,  and  this  the  hand  of  the 
noble  king  did  pledge  with  an  oath,  and  Lord  Gemot, 
too,  that  this  should  hap. 

Then  spake  the  margrave :  "  Sith  I  have  naught  of 
castles,  I  will  ever  serve  you  with  my  troth.  As  much  sil- 


HOW  THEY   CAME   TO   BECHELAREN         227 

ver  and  gold  will  I  give  my  daughter,  as  an  hundred 
sumpters  may  barely  carry,  that  it  may  please  the 
hero's  kin  in  honor." 

After  the  custom  men  bade  them  stand  in  a  ring. 
Over  against  her  many  a  youth  stood,  blithe  of  mood. 
In  their  minds  they  harbored  thoughts,  as  young  folk 
still  are  wont  to  do.  Men  then  gan  ask  the  winsome 
maid  whether  she  would  have  the  knight  or  no.  Loth 
in  part  she  was,  and  yet  she  thought  to  take  the  stately 
man.  She  shamed  her  of  the  question,  as  many  another 
maid  hath  done.  Her  father  Riideger  counseled  her  to 
answer  yes,  and  gladly  take  him.  In  a  trice  young  Gisel- 
her  was  at  her  side,  and  clasped  her  in  his  white  hands, 
albeit  but  little  time  she  might  enjoy  him. 

Then  spake  the  margrave  :  "  Ye  noble  and  mighty 
kings,  when  ye  now  ride  again  (that  is  the  custom) 
home  to  Burgundy,  I  will  give  you  my  child,  that  ye 
may  take  her  with  you." 

This  then  they  vowed.  Now  men  must  needs  give 
over  all  the  noisy  joy.  They  bade  the  maiden  hie  her 
to  her  bower,  and  bade  the  guests  to  sleep  and  rest 
them  against  the  day.  Meanwhile  men  made  ready  the 
food  ;  the  host  purveyed  them  well. 

When  now  they  had  eaten,  they  would  ride  hence 
to  the  Hunnish  lands.  "I'll  guard  against  that  well," 
spake  the  noble  host.  "  Ye  must  tarry  still,  for  full 
seldom  have  I  gained  such  welcome  guests." 

To  this  Dankwart  replied  :  "  Forsooth  this  may  not 
be.  Where  would  ye  find  the  food,  the  bread  and  wine, 
that  ye  must  have  for  so  many  warriors  another  night?" 

When  the  host  heard  this,  he  spake :  "  Give  o'er 
this  speech.  My  dear  lords,  ye  must  not  say  me  nay. 


228  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Forsooth  I  'cl  give  you  vittaile  for  a  fortnight,  with  all 
your  fellowship  that  is  come  hither  with  you.  King 
Etzel  hath  taken  from  me  as  yet  full  little  of  my  goods." 
However  much  they  demurred,  still  they  must  needs 
tarry  there  until  the  fourth  morning,  when  such  deeds 
were  done  by  the  bounty  of  the  host  that  it  was  told 
afar.  He  gave  his  guests  both  mounts  and  robes.  No 
longer  might  they  stay,  they  must  fare  forth.  Through 
his  bounty  bold  Riideger  wot  how  to  save  but  little. 
Naught  was  denied  that  any  craved,  it  could  not  but 
please  them  all.  Their  noble  meiny  now  brought  sad- 
dled before  the  gate  the  many  steeds,  and  to  them 
came  forth  the  stranger  knights.  In  their  hands  they 
bare  their  shields,  for  they  would  ride  to  Etzel's  land. 
Before  the  noble  guests  come  forth  from,  the  hall,  the 
host  had  proffered  everywhere  his  gifts.  He  wist  how 
to  live  bountifully,  in  mickle  honors.  To  Giselher  he 
had  given  his  comely  daughter ;  to  Gunther,  the  wor- 
shipful knight,  who  seldom  took  a  gift,  he  gave  a  coat 
of  mail,  which  the  noble  and  mighty  king  wore  well 
with  honor.  Gunther  bowed  low  over  noble  Rude<2er"s 
hand.  Then  to  Gemot  he  gave  a  weapon  good  enow, 
the  which  he  later  bare  full  gloriously  in  strife.  Little 
did  the  margrave's  wife  begrudge  him  the  gift,  but 
through  it  good  Riideger  was  forced  to  lose  his  life. 
Gotelind  offered  Hagen  a  loving  gift,  as  well  befit  her. 
He  took  it,  sith  the  king  had  taken  one,  that  he 
should  not  fare  forth  from  her  to  the  feasting,  without 
her  present.  Later  he  gainsayed  it.  "  Of  all  that  I 
have  ever  seen,"  cpioth  Hagen,  "  I  crave  to  bear  naught 
else  save  that  shield  on  yonder  wall  ;  fain  would  I 
take  that  with  me  into  Etzel's  land." 


HOW   THEY   CAME   TO   BECHELAREN         229 

When  the  margravine  heard  Hagen's  speech,  it 
minded  her  of  her  grief  —  tears  became  her  well.  She 
thought  full  dearly  on  Nudung's  *  death,  whom  Wit- 
tich  had  slain  ;  from  this  she  felt  the  stress  of  sorrow. 
To  the  knight  she  spake  :  "  I  '11  give  you  the  shield. 
Would  to  God  in  heaven,  that  he  still  lived  who  bare 
it  once  in  baud.  He  met  his  death  in  battle  ;  for  him 
must  I  ever  weep,  which  giveth  me,  poor  wife,  dire 
woe." 

The  noble  margravine  rose  from  her  seat  and  with  her 
white  hands  she  seized  the  shield.  To  Hagen  the  lady 
bare  it,  who  took  it  in  his  hand.  This  gift  was  worthily 
bestowed  upon  the  knight.  A  cover  of  shining  silk 
concealed  its  colors,  for  it  was  set  with  precious  stones. 
In  sooth  the  daylight  never  shone  on  better  shield.  Had 
any  wished  to  buy  it  at  its  cost,  't  were  well  worth  a 
thousand  marks.2  Hagen  bade  the  shield  be  borne 
away. 

Then  Dankwart  came  to  court.  To  him  the  mar- 
grave's daughter  gave  great  store  of  rich  apparel,  the 
which  he  later  wore  among  the  Huns  in  passing  lordly 
wise.  However  many  gifts  were  taken  by  them,  naught 
would  have  come  into  the  hands  of  any,  save  through 
the  kindness  of  the  host,  who  proffered  them  so  fair. 
Later  they  became  such  foes  that  they  were  forced  to 
strike  him  dead. 

Now  the  doughty  Folker  went  courteously  with  his 
fiddle  and  stood  before  Gotelind.  He  played  sweet 
tunes  and  sang  to  her  his  songs.  Thus  he  took  his 
leave  and  parted  from  Bechelaren.  The  margravine 
bade  fetch  a  chest.  Now  hear  the  tale  of  friendly  gifts  ! 
Twelve  rings  she  took  out  and  placed  them  on  his  hand. 


230  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  These  ye  must  bear  hence  to  Etzel's  land  and  wear 
them  at  court  for  my  sake,  whithersoever  ye  turn,  that 
men  may  tell  me  how  ye  have  served  me  yonder  at  the 
feast."  What  the  lady  craved,  he  later  carried  out  full 
well. 

Then  spake  the  host  to  his  guests :  "  Ye  shall  jour- 
ney all  the  gentlier,  for  I  myself  will  guide  you  and 
bid  guard  you  well,  that  none  may  harm  you  on  the 
road." 

Then  his  sumpters  were  laden  soon.  The  host  was 
well  beseen  with  five  hundred  men  with  steeds  and 
vesture.  These  he  took  with  him  full  merrily  hence  to 
the  feasting.  Not  one  of  them  later  ever  came  alive  to 
Bechelaren.  With  a  loving  kiss  the  host  parted  hence  ; 
the  same  did  Giselher,  as  his  gentle  breeding  counseled 
him.  In  their  arms  they  clasped  fair  wives.  This  many 
a  high-born  maid  must  needs  bewail  in  later  times.  On 
every  side  they  opened  the  casements,  for  the  host  with 
his  liegemen  would  now  mount  their  steeds.  I  ween 
their  hearts  did  tell  them  of  the  bitter  woes  to  come. 
Then  wept  many  a  dame  and  many  a  comely  maid. 
They  joined  for  their  dear  kinsmen,  whom  nevermore 
they  saw  in  Bechelaren.  Yet  these  rode  merrily  across 
the  sand,  down  along  the  Danube  to  the  Hunnish  land. 

Then  noble  Riideger,  the  full  lusty  knight,  spake  to 
the  Burgundians  :  "  Certes,  the  tidings  that  we  be 
coming  to  the  Huns  must  not  be  left  unsaid,  for  King 
Etzel  hath  never  heard  aught  that  pleased  him  more.'' 

So  down  through  Austria  the  envoy  sped,  and  to 
the  folk  on  every  side  'twas  told  that  the  heroes  were 
coming  from  Worms  beyond  the  Rhine.  Naught  could 
have  been  liefer  to  the  courtiers  of  the  king.  On  before 


HOW  THEY   CAME   TO   BECHELAREN         231 

the  envoys  hasted  with  the  tidings,  that  the  Nibelungs 
were  already  in  the  Hunnish  land. 

"  Thou  must  greet  them  well,  Kriemhild,  lady  mine. 
Thy  dear  brothers  be  coming-  in  great  state  to  visit 
thee." 

Within  a  casement  window  Lady  Kriemhild  stood 
and  looked  out  to  see  her  kin,  as  friend  doth  for  friend. 
Many  a  man  she  spied  from  her  fatherland.  The  king, 
too,  learned  the  tale  and  laughed  for  very  pleasure. 
"  Now  well  is  me  of  my  joys,"  quoth  Kriemhild,  "  my 
kinsmen  bring  with  them  many  a  brand-new  shield 
and  white  coat  of  mail.  He  who  would  have  gold,  let 
him  bethink  him  of  my  sorrows,  and  I  '11  ever  be  his 
friend." 


ADVENTURE   XXVIII 

HOW  THE    BURGTJNDIANS    CAME    TO   ETZEL'S    CASTLE 

When  the  Burgundians  were  come  to  the  land,  old 
Hildebrand  1  of  Berne  did  hear  the  tale,  and  sore  it  rued 
him.  He  told  his  lord,  who  bade  him  welcome  well 
the  lusty  knights  and  brave.  The  doughty  Wolfhart 2 
bade  fetch  the  steeds  ;  then  many  a  sturdy  warrior  rode 
with  Dietrich,  to  where  he  thought  to  meet  them  on 
the  plain  where  they  had  pitched  full  many  a  lordly  tent. 
When  Hagen  of  Troneg  saw  them  riding  from  afar, 
to  his  lords  he  spake  in  courteous  wise  :  "  Now  must 
ye  doughty  warriors  rise  from  your  seats  and  go  to 
meet  them,  who  woidd  greet  you  here.  Yonder  cometh 
a  fellowship  I  know  full  well,  they  be  full  speedy 
knights  from  the  Amelung  land,3  whom  the  lord  of 
Berne  doth  lead  —  high-mettled  warriors  they.  Scorn 
not  the  service  that  they  proffer." 

Then  with  Dietrich  there  alighted  from  the  steeds, 
as  was  mickle  right,  many  a  knight  and  squire. 
Towards  the  strangers  they  went,  to  where  they  found 
the  heroes  ;  in  friendly  wise  they  greeted  those  from 
the  Burgundian  land.  Ye  may  now  hear  what  Sir 
Dietrich  said  to  the  sons  of  Uta,  as  he  saw  them 
coming  toward  him.  Their  journey  rued  him  sore ; 
he  weened  that  Rtideger  wist  it,  and  had  told  them 
the  tale.  "  Be  ye  welcome,  fair  sirs,  Gunther  and 
Giselher,  Gemot  and  Hagen,  likewise  Folker  and 
the    doughty  Dankwart.    Know  ye  not  that   Kriem- 


THE  BURGUNDIANS  COME  TO  ETZEL'S  CASTLE    233 

liild  still  mourneth  sorely  for  the  hero  of  the  Nibelung 
land  ?  " 

"  Let  her  weep  long  time,"  quoth  Hagen.  "  He  hath 
lain  these  many  years,  done  to  death.  Let  her  love  now 
the  Hunnish  king.  Siegfried  cometh  not  again,  he 
hath  long  been  buried." 

"  Let  us  not  talk  of  Siegfried's  wounds,  but  if 
Kriemhild  still  live,  scathe  may  hap  again,"  so  spake 
Sir  Dietrich,  the  lord  of  Berne.  "  Hope  of  the  Nibe- 
lungs,  guard  thee  well  against  this." 

"  Why  should  I  guard  me  ?  "  spake  the  high-born 
king.  "  Etzel  sent  us  envoys  (why  should  I  question 
more  ?)  to  say  that  we  should  ride  to  visit  him,  hither 
to  this  land.  My  sister  Kriemhild  sent  us  many  a 
message,  too." 

"  Let  me  counsel  yon,"  qnoth  Hagen,  "  to  beg  Sir 
Dietrich  and  his  good  knights  to  tell  you  the  tidings 
further,  and  to  let  you  know  the  Lady  Kriemhild's 
mood." 

Then  the  three  mighty  kings,  Gunther  and  Gemot 
and  Sir  Dietrich,  too,  went  and  spake  apart.  "  Pray 
tell  us,  good  and  noble  knight  of  Berne,  what  ye  do 
know  of  the  queen's  mood  ?  " 

Answered  the  lord  of  Bo>rne  :  "  What  more  shall  I 
tell  you  ?  Every  morning  I  hear  King  Etzel's  wife 
wail  and  weep  with  piteous  mind  to  the  mighty  God 
of  heaven  over  the  stalwart  Siegfried's  death." 

"That  which  we  have  heard,"  spake  bold  Folker, 
the  fiddler,  "  cannot  be  turned  aside.  We  must  ride  to 
court  and  abide  what  may  hap  to  us  doughty  knights 
among  the  Huns." 

The   brave   Burgundians   now  rode   to   court.     In 


234  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

lordly  wise  they  came  after  the  fashion  of  their  land. 
Many  a  brave  man  among  the  Huns  wondered  what 
manner  of  man  Hagen  of  Troneo-  be.  It  was  enough 
that  men  told  tales,  that  he  had  slain  KriemhikTs 
husband  the  mightiest  of  all  heroes.  For  that  cause 
alone  much  questioning  about  Hagen  was  heard  at 
court.  The  knight  was  fair  of  stature,  that  is  full  true ; 
broad  he  was  across  the  breast ;  his  hair  was  mixed 
with  gray  ;  his  legs  were  long,  and  fierce  his  glance  ;  a 
lordly  gait  he  had. 

Then  one  bade  lodge  the  Burgundian  men,  but 
Gunther's  fellowship  was  placed  apart.  This  the  queen 
advised,  who  bare  him  much  hate,  and  therefore  men 
later  slew  the  footmen  in  their  lodgings.  Dankwart, 
Hagen's  brother,  he  was  marshal.  The  king  earnestly 
commended  to  him  his  followers,  that  he  purvey  them 
well  and  give  them  enow  to  eat.  The  hero  of  Bur- 
gundy bare  them  all  good  will.  Kriemhild,  the  fair, 
went  with  her  maids-in-waiting  to  where,  false  of  mood, 
she  greeted  the  Nibelungs.  Giselher  alone  she  kissed 
and  took  by  the  hand.  That  Hagen  of  Troneg  saw,  and 
bound  his  helmet  tighter.  "  After  such  a  greeting," 
quoth  Hagen,  "  doughty  knights  may  well  bethink  them. 
One  giveth  kings  a  greeting  different  from  their  men. 
We  have  not  made  a  good  journey  to  this  feast."  1 

She  spake:  "Be  welcome  to  him  that  be  fain  to  see 
you  ;  I  greet  you  not  for  your  kinship.  Pray  tell  me 
what  ye  do  bring  me  from  Worms  beyond  the  Rhine, 
that  ye  should  be  so  passing  welcome  to  me  here  ?  " 

"  Had  I  known,"  quoth  Hagen,  "  that  knights  should 
bring  you  gifts,  I  had  bethought  me  better,  for  I  be 
rich  enow  to  bring  you  presents  hither  to  this  land." 


THE  BURGUNDIANS  COME  TO  ETZEL'S  CASTLE    235 

"  Now  let  me  hear  the  tale  of  where  ye  have  put  the 
Nibelung  hoard?  It  was  mine  own,  as  ye  well  know, 
and  ye  should  have  brought  me  that  to  Etzel's  land." 

"  I'  faith,  my  Lady  Kriemhild,  it  is  many  a  day 
sith  I  have  had  the  care  of  the  Nibelung  hoard.  My 
lords  bade  sink  it  in  the  Rhine,  and  there  it  must 
verily  lie  till  doomsday." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  I  thought  as  much.  Ye 
have  brought  full  little  of  it  hither  to  this  land, 
albeit  it  was  mine  own,  and  I  had  it  whilom  in  my 
care.  Therefore  have  I  all  time  so  many  a  mournful 
day." 

"The  devil  I'll  bring  you,"  answered  Hagen.  "I 
have  enough  to  carry  with  my  shield  and  breastplate ; 
my  helm  is  bright,  the  sword  is  in  my  hand,  therefore 
I  bring  you  naught." 

Then  the  queen  spake  to  the  knights  on  every 
side:  "One  may  not  bring  weapons  to  the  hall.  Sir 
Knights,  give  them  to  me,  I'll  have  them  taken  in 
charge." 

"I' faith,"  quoth  Hagen,  "never shall  that  be  done. 
In  sooth  I  crave  not  the  honor,  O  bounteous  princess, 
that  ye  should  bear  my  shield  and  other  arms  to  the 
lodgings  ;  ye  be  a  queen.  This  my  father  did  not  teach 
me,  I  myself  will  play  the  chamberlain." 

"  Alack  for  my  sorrows,"  spake  Lady  Kriemhild. 
"  Why  will  I  Iagen  and  my  brother  not  let  their  shields 
be  taken  in  charge?  They  be  warned,  and  wist  I,  who 
hath  done  this,  I  'd  ever  plan  his  death." 

To  this  Sir  Dietrich  answered  in  wrath  :  "  'T  is  I, 
that  hath  warned  the  noble  and  mighty  princes  and 
the   bold  Hagen,  the    Burgundian    liegeman.    Go  to, 


236  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

thou  she-devil,  thou  durst  not  make  me  suffer  for  the 
deed." 

Sore  abashed  was  King-  Etzel's  wife,  for  bitterly  she 
feared  Sir  Dietrich.  At  once  she  left  him,  not  a  word 
she  spake,  but  gazed  with  furious  glance  upon  her 
foes.  Two  warriors  then  grasped  each  other  quickly  by 
the  hand,  the  one  was  Sir  Dietrich,  the  other  Hagen. 
With  gentle  breeding  the  lusty  hero  spake  :  "  Forsooth 
I  rue  your  coming  to  the  Huns,  because  of  what  the 
queen  hath  said." 

Quoth  Hagen  :  "  There  will  be  help  for  that." 

Thus  the  two  brave  men  talked  together.  King  Etzel 
saw  this,  and  therefore  he  began  to  query :  "  Fain  would 
I  know,"  spake  the  mighty  king,  "  who  yonder  war- 
rior be,  whom  Sir  Dietrich  greeteth  there  in  such 
friendly  wise.  He  carrieth  high  his  head  ;  whoever  be 
his  father,  he  is  sure  a  doughty  knight." 

A  liegeman  of  Kriemhild  made  answer  to  the 
king  :  "  By  birth  he  is  from  Troneg,  his  father  hight 
Aldrian  ;  however  blithe  he  bear  him  here,  a  grim 
man  is  he.  I  '11  let  you  see  full  well  that  I  have  told 
no  lie." 

"  How  shall  I  know  that  he  be  so  fierce  ?  "  replied 
the  king.  As  yet  he  wist  not  the  many  evil  tricks  that 
the  queen  should  later  play  upon  her  kin,  so  that  she 
let  none  escape  from  the  Huns  alive. 

"  Well  know  I  Aldrian,  for  he  was  my  vassal1  and 
here  at  my  court  gained  mickle  praise  and  honor.  I 
dubbed  him  knight  and  gave  him  of  my  gold.  The  faith- 
ful Helca  loved  him  inly.  Therefore  I  have  since  known 
Hagen  every  whit.  Two  stately  youths  became  my 
hostages,  he  and  Walther  of  Spain.2  Here  they  grew 


THE  BURGUNDIANS  COME  TO  ETZEL'S  CASTLE    237 

to  manhood  ;  Hag-en  I  sent  home  again,  "Walther  ran 
away  with  Hildegund." 

He  bethought  him  of  many  tales  that  had  happed 
of  yore.  He  had  spied  aright  his  friend  of  Troneg, 
who  in  his  youth  had  given  him  yeoman  service.  Later 
in  his  old  age  he  did  him  many  a  dear  friend  to  death. 


ADVENTURE     XXIX 

HOW    HAGEN    WOULD    NOT    RISE    FOR    KRIEMHILD 

Then  the  two  worshipful  warriors  parted,  Hagen  of 
Troneg  and  Sir  Dietrich.  Over  his  shoulder  Gunther's 
liegeman  gazed  for  a  comrade-at-arms,  whom  he  then 
quickly  won.  Folker  he  saw,  the  cunning  fiddler,  stand 
by  Giselher,  and  begged  him  to  join  him,  for  well  he 
knew  his  savage  mood.  He  was  in  all  things  a  bold 
knight  and  a  good.  Still  they  let  the  lordings  stand  in 
the  court,  only  these  twain  alone  men  saw  walk  hence 
far  across  the  court  before  a  spacious  palace.  These 
chosen  warriors  feared  the  hate  of  none.  They  sate 
them  down  upon  a  bench  before  the  house  over  against 
a  hall,  the  which  belonged  to  Kriemhild.  Upon  their 
bodies  shone  their  lordly  weeds.  Enow  who  gazed 
upon  them  would  fain  have  known  the  knights  ;  as 
wild  beasts  the  haughty  heroes  were  stared  upon  by 
the  Hunnish  men.  EtzeFs  wife,  too,  gazed  upon  them 
through  a  window,  at  which  fair  Kriemhild  waxed  sad 
again.  Of  her  sorrows  it  minded  her  and  she  began  to 
weep.  Much  it  wondered  Etzel's  men  what  had  so 
quickly  saddened  her  mood.  Quoth  she  :  "  That  Hagen 
hath  done,  ye  heroes  brave  and  good." 

To  the  lady  they  spake  :  "  How  hath  that  happed, 
for  but  newly  we  did  see  you  joyful  ?  None  there  be 
so  bold,  an'  he  hath  done  you  aught,  but  it  will  cost 
him  his  life,  if  ye  bid  us  venge  you." 

"  Ever  would  I  requite  it,  if  any  avenged  my  wrongs. 


HOW  HAGEN  WOULD   NOT   RISE  239 

I  would  give  him  all  he  craved.  Behold  me  at  your 
feet,"  spake  the  queen;  "avenge  me  on  Hagen,  that 
he  lose  his  life." 

Then  sixty  bold  men  made  them  ready  eftsoon  for 
Kriemhild's  sake.  They  would  hence  to  slay  the  bold 
knight  Hagen  and  the  fiddler,  too.  With  forethought 
this  was  done.  When  the  queen  beheld  the  band  so 
small,  grim  of  mood  she  spake  to  the  knights  :  "  What 
ye  now  would  do,  ye  should  give  over.  With  so  few 
durst  ye  never  encounter  Hagen.  And  however  strong 
and  bold  Hagen  of  Troneg  be,  he  who  sitteth  by  his 
side,  Foiker,  the  fiddler,  is  stronger  still  by  far.  He  is 
an  evil  man.  Certes,  ye  may  not  so  lightly  match  these 
knights." 

When  they  heard  this,  four  hundred  doughty  war- 
riors more  did  make  them  ready.  The  noble  queen 
craved  sore  to  do  them  harm.  Thereby  the  heroes  later 
fell  in  mickle  danger.  When  she  saw  her  followers 
well  armed,  the  queen  spake  to  the  doughty  knights : 
"Now  bide  a  while,  ye  must  stand  quite  still  in  truth. 
Wearing  my  crown,  I  will  go  to  meet  my  foes.  List 
ye  to  the  wrongs  that  Hagen  of  Troneg,  Gunther's 
man,  hath  done  me.  I  know  him  to  be  so  haughty  that 
he  '11  not  deny  a  whit.  Little  I  reck  what  hap  to  him 
on  this  account." 

Then  the  fiddler,  a  bold  minstrel,  spied  the  noble 
queen  walk  down  the  flight  of  steps  that  led  down- 
ward from  a  house.  When  bold  Foiker  saw  this,  to 
his  comrade-at-arms  he  spake  :   "  Now  behold,  friend 

I I  agon,  how  she  walketh  yonder,  who  hath  faithlessly 
bidden  us  to  this  land.  I  have  never  seen  with  a  queen 
so  many  men  bearing  sword  in  hand  march  in  such 


240  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

warlike  guise.  Know  ye,  friend  Hagen,  whether  she 
bear  you  hate  ?  If  so  be,  I  counsel  you  to  guard  the 
better  your  life  and  honor.  Certes,  methinks  this  good. 
They  be  wroth  of  mood,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  and  some 
be  so  broad  of  chest  that  he  who  would  guard  himself 
should  do  so  betimes.  I  ween  there  be  those  among 
them  who  wear  bright  breastplates.  Whom  they  would 
attack,  I  cannot  say." 

Then,  angry  of  mood,  the  brave  knight  Hagen  spake  : 
"  Well  I  wot  that  all  this  be  done  against  me,  that 
they  thus  bear  their  gleaming  swords  in  hand.  For 
aught  of  them,  I  still  may  ride  to  the  Burgundian  land. 
Now  tell  me,  friend  Folker,  whether  ye  will  stand  by 
me,  if  perchance  Kriemhild's  men  would  fight  me  ? 
Pray  let  me  hear  that,  if  so  be  ye  hold  me  dear.  I  '11 
aid  you  evermore  with  faithful  service." 

"I  '11  help  you  surely,"  spake  the  minstrel;  "and 
should  I  see  the  king  with  all  his  warriors  draw  near 
us,  not  one  foot  will  I  yield  from  fear  in  aiding  you, 
the  while  I  live." 

"  Now  may  God  in  heaven  requite  you,  noble  Folker ; 
though  they  strive  against  me,  what  need  I  more  ? 
Sith  ye  will  help  me,  as  I  hear  you  say,  let  these  war- 
riors come  on  full-armed." 

"  Let  us  rise  now  from  our  seats,"  spake  the  min- 
strel. "  Let  us  do  her  honor  as  she  passeth  by,  she  is  a 
high-born  dame,  a  queen.  We  shall  thereby  honor  our- 
selves as  well." 

"  For  my  sake,  no,"  quoth  Hagen.  "  Should  I  go 
hence,  these  knights  would  think  'twas  through  fear. 
Not  for  one  of  them  will  I  ever  rise  from  my  seat.  It 
beseemeth  us  both  better,  forsooth,  to  leave  this  un- 


HOW  HAGEN  WOULD   NOT  RISE  241 

done,  for  why  should  I  honor  one  who  doth  bear  me 
hatred  ?  Nor  will  I  do  this,  the  while  I  live  ;  I  reck  not 
how  King-  Etzel's  wife  doth  hate  me." 

Haughty  Hagen  laid  across  his  knees  a  gleaming 
sword  from  whose  pommel  a  sparkling  jasper,  greener 
than  grass,  did  shine.  Its  hilt  was  golden,  its  sheath 
an  edging  of  red.  That  it  was  Siegfried's,  Kriemhild 
knew  full  well.  She  must  needs  grow  sad  when  that 
she  knew  the  sword,  for  it  minded  her  of  her  wrongs ; 
she  began  to  weep.  I  ween  bold  Hagen  had  done  it  for 
this  cause.  Folker,  the  bold,  drew  nearer  to  the  bench 
a  fiddle  bow,  strong,  mickle,  and  long,  like  unto  a 
broad,  sharp  sword,  and  there  the  two  lusty  knights 
sate  undaunted.  These  two  brave  men  did  think  them- 
selves so  lordly,  that  they  would  not  leave  their  seats 
through  fear  of  any  man.  The  noble  queen  walked 
therefore  to  their  very  feet  and  gave  them  hostile  greet- 
ing. She  spake :  "  Now  tell  me,  Hagen,  who  hath  sent 
for  you,  that  ye  durst  ride  hither  to  this  land,  sith  ye 
know  full  well  what  ye  have  done  me?  Had  ye  good 
wits,  ye  should  have  left  it  undone,  by  rights." 

"  No  one  sent  for  me,"  quoth  Hagen.  "  Men  bade  to 
this  land  three  knights,  who  hight  my  lords.  I  am 
their  liegeman,  and  full  seldom  have  I  stayed  behind 
when  they  journeyed  to  any  court." 

Quoth  she:  "  Now  tell  me  further,  why  ye  did  this, 
through  the  which  ye  have  earned  my  hate?  Ye  slew 
Siegfried,  my  dear  husband,  for  which  I  have  cause 
enow  to  weep  until  mine  end." 

Quoth  he :  "  What  booteth  more,  enow  is  al- 
ready said.  It  is  just  I,  Hagen,  who  slew  Siegfried,  a 
hero  of  his  hands.   How  sorely  did  he  atone  that  Lady 


242  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Kriemhild  railed  at  comely  Brunhild.  'T  is  not  to  be 
denied,  O  mighty  queen,  I  alone  am  to  blame  for  this 
scathful  scathe.1  Let  him  avenge  it  who  will,  be  he 
wife  or  man.  Unless  be  I  should  lie  to  you,  I  have 
done  you  much  of  harm." 

Quoth  she  :  "  Now  hear,  ye  knights,  how  he  denieth 
no  whit  of  my  wrongs.  Men  of  Etzel,  I  care  not  what 
hap  to  him  from  this  cause." 

The  proud  warriors  all  gazed  at  one  another.  Had 
any  begun  the  fight,  it  would  have  come  about  that  men 
must  have  given  the  honors  to  the  two  comrades,  for 
they  had  oft  wrought  wonders  in  the  fray.  What  the 
Huns  had  weened  to  do  must  now  needs  be  left  un- 
done through  fear. 

Then  spake  one  of  the  men-at-arms :  "  Why  gaze 
ye  thus  at  me?  What  I  afore  vowed,  I  will  now 
give  over.  I  will  lose  my  life  for  no  man's  gift. 
Forsooth  Kins:  Etzel's  wife  would  fain   lead  us  into 


*s 


wrong. 


Quoth  another  hard  by :  "Of  the  selfsame  mind  am 
I.  An'  any  give  me  towers  of  good  red  gold,  I  would 
not  match  this  fiddler,  for  his  fearful  glances,  the 
which  I  have  seen  him  cast.  Hagen,  too,  I  have  known 
from  his  youthful  days,  wherefore  men  can  tell  me 
little  of  this  knight.  I  have  seen  him  fight  in  two  and 
twenty  battles,  through  which  woe  of  heart  hath 
happed  to  many  a  dame.  He  and  the  knight  from  Spain 
trod  many  a  war  path,  when  here  at  Etzel's  court  they 
waged  so  many  wars  in  honor  of  the  king.  Much  this 
happed,  wherefore  one  must  justly  honor  Hagen.  At 
that  time  the  warrior  was  of  his  years  a  lad.  How 
gray  are  they  who  then  were  young  !  Now  is  he  come 


HOW   HAGEN  WOULD   NOT  RISE  243 

to  wit  and  is  a  man  full  grim.  Balmung,1  too,  he 
beareth,  the  which  he  won  in  evil  wise." 

Therewith  the  strife  was  parted,  so  that  no  one 
fought,  which  mightily  rued  the  queen.  The  warriors 
turned  them  hence  ;  in  sooth  the}'  feared  their  death 
at  the  fiddler's  hands,  and  surely  they  had  need  of  this. 
Then  spake  the  fiddler :  "  We  have  now  well  seen  that 
we  shall  find  foes  here,  as  we  heard  tell  afore.  Let  us 
go  to  court  now  to  the  kings,  then  dare  none  match 
our  lords  in  fight.  How  oft  a  man  doth  leave  a  thing 
undone  through  fear,  the  which  he  would  not  do,  when 
friend  standeth  by  friend  in  friendly  2  wise,  an'  he  have 
good  wits.  Scathe  to  many  a  man  is  lightly  warded  off 
by  forethought." 

Quoth  Hagen  :  "  Now  will  I  follow  you." 

They  went  to  where  they  found  the  dapper  warriors 
standing  in  the  court  in  a  great  press  of  welcoming 
knights. 

Bold  Folker  gan  speak  loudly  to  his  lords  :  "  How 
long  will  ye  stand  and  let  yourselves  be  jostled  ?  Ye 
must  go  to  court  and  hear  from  the  king  of  what  mind 
he  be." 

Men  then  saw  the  brave  heroes  and  good  pair  off. 
The  prince  of  Berne  took  by  the  hand  the  mighty 
Guntherof  Burgundian  land.  Irnfried  3  took  the  brave 
knight  Gemot,  while  Riideger  was  seen  to  go  to  court 
with  Giselher.  But  however  any  paired,  Folker  and 
Hagen  never  parted,  save  in  one  fray,  when  their  cud 
was  comeTand  this  noble  ladies  must  needs  greatly 
bewail  in  after  time.  With  the  kings  one  saw  go  to 
court  a  thousand  brave  men  of  their  fellowship,  thereto 
sixty  champions  that  were  come  with  them,  whom  the 


244  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

bold  Hagen  had  taken  from  his  land.  Hawart  '  and 
Iring,  two  chosen  men,  were  seen  to  walk  together 
near  the  kings.  Men  saw  Dankwart  and  Wolfhart,  a 
peerless  knight,  display  their  chivalry  before  all  eyes. 

When  the  lord  of  the  Rhine  had  entered  the  hall, 
the  mighty  Etzel  delayed  no  longer,  but  sprang  from 
his  throne  when  he  saw  him  come.  Never  did  so  fair  a 
greeting  hap  from  any  king.  "  Be  welcome,  Sir  Gun- 
ther,  and  Sir  Gemot,  too,  and  your  brother  Giselher. 
I  sent  you  truly  my  faithful  service  to  Worms  beyond 
the  Rhine.  All  your  fellowship,  too,  I  welcome.  Now 
be  ye  passing  welcome,  ye  two  knights,  Folker,  the 
brave,  and  Sir  Hagen  likewise,  to  me  and  to  my  lady, 
here  in  this  our  land.  She  sent  you  many  a  messenger 
to  the  Rhine." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  I  heard  much  talk 
of  that,  and  were  I  not  come  to  the  Huns  for  the  sake 
of  my  lords,  I  should  have  ridden  in  your  honor  to 
this  land." 

The  noble  host  then  took  his  dear  guests  by  the 
hand  and  led  them  to  the  settle  where  he  sate  himself. 
Busily  they  poured  out  for  the  guests  in  broad  bowls 
of  gold,  mead,  morat,2  and  wine  and  bade  those  far 
from  home  be  welcome.  Then  spake  King  Etzel : 
"  Let  me  tell  you  this  ;  it  might  not  liefer  hap  to  me 
in  all  this  world,  than  through  you  heroes,  that  ye  be 
come  to  see  me.  Through  this  much  sadness  is  also 
taken  from  the  queen.  Me-wondereth  greatly  what 
I  have  done  you  noble  strangers,  that  ye  never  recked 
to  come  into  my  land.  My  sadness  is  turned  to  joy, 
since  now  I  see  you  here." 

To    this    Riideger,    a    high-mettled    knight,    made 


HOW   HAGEN   WOULD   NOT   RISE  245 

answer :  "  Ye  may  be  glad  to  see  them.  Good  is  the 
lealty  which  the  kinsmen  of  my  lady  wot  how  to  use 
so  well.  They  bring  also  to  your  house  many  a  stately 
knight." 

Upon  a  midsummer's  eve  the  lords  were  come  to  the 
court  of  the  mighty  Etzel.  Seldom  hath  there  been 
heard  such  lofty  greeting  as  when  he  welcomed  the 
heroes.  When  now  the  time  to  eat  was  come,  the  king 
went  with  them  to  the  board.  Never  did  host  sit  fairer 
with  his  guests.  Men  gave  them  meat  and  drink  to 
the  full.  All  that  they  craved  stood  ready  for  them, 
for  mickle  wonders  had  been  told  about  these  knights. 


ADVENTURE  XXX 

HOW    THEY    KEPT    THE    WATCH 

The  day  had  now  an  end,  and  the  night  drew  nigh. 
Care  beset  the  wayworn  travelers,  as  to  when  they 
should  go  to  bed  and  rest  them.  This  Hagen  be  spake 
with  Etzel,  and  it  was  told  them  soon. 

Gunther  spake  to  the  host :  "  God  be  with  you,  we 
would  fain  go  to  our  sleep,  pray  give  us  leave.  We 
will  come  early  on  the  morrow,  whensoever  ye  bid." 

Etzel  parted  then  full  merrily  from  his  guests.  Men 
pressed  the  strangers  on  every  side,  at  which  brave 
Folker  spake  to  the  Huns  :  "  How  dare  ye  crowd  be- 
fore the  warriors'  feet  ?  An'  ye  will  not  leave  this, 
ye  '11  fare  full  ill.  I  '11  smite  some  man  so  heavy  a 
fiddle  blow,  that  if  he  have  a  faithful  friend  he  may 
well  bewail  it.  Why  give  ye  not  way  before  us  knights  ? 
Methinks't  were  well.  All  pass  for  knights,  but  be 
not  of  equal  mettle." 

As  the  fiddler  spake  thus  in  wrath,  Hagen,  the 
brave,  looked  behind  him.  He  spake  :  "  The  bold  glee- 
man  doth  advise  you  right,  ye  men  of  Kriemhild,  ye 
should  hie  you  to  your  lodgings.  I  ween  none  of  you 
will  do  what  ye  are  minded,  but  would  ye  begin  aught, 
come  early  on  the  morrow,  and  let  us  wanderers  have 
peace  to-night.  Certes,  I  ween  that  it  hath  never 
happed  with  such  good  will  on  the  part  of  heroes." 

Then  the  guests  were  brought  into  a  spacious  hall, 
which  they  found  purveyed  on  every  side  with  costly 


HOW  THEY   KEPT  THE  WATCH  247 

beds,  long-  and  broad,  for  the  warriors.  Lady  Kriem- 
hild  planned  the  very  greatest  wrongs  against  them. 
One  saw  there  many  a  cunningly  wrought  quilt  from 
Arras  '  of  shining  silken  cloth  and  many  a  coverlet  of 
Arabian  silk,  the  best  that  might  be  had  ;  upon  this  ran 
a  border  that  shone  in  princely  wise.  Many  bed  covers 
of  ermine  and  of  black  sable  were  seen,  beneath  which 
they  should  have  their  ease  at  night,  until  the  dawn 
of  day.  Never  hath  king  lain  so  lordly  with  his  meiny. 

"  Alas  for  these  night  quarters,"  spake  Giselher,  the 
youth,  "  and  alas  for  my  friends,  who  be  come  with  us. 
However  kindly  my  sister  greeted  us,  yet  I  do  fear  me 
that  through  her  fault  we  must  soon  lie  dead." 

"  Now  give  over  your  care,"  quoth  Hagen,  the  knight. 
"  I  '11  stand  watch  myself  to-night.  I  trow  to  guard  us 
well,  until  the  day  doth  come.  Therefore  have  no  fear ; 
after  that,  let  him  survive  who  may." 

All  bowed  low  and  said  him  gramercy.  Then  went 
they  to  their  beds.  A  short  while  after  the  stately  men 
had  laid  them  down,  bold  Hagen,  the  hero,  began  to 
arm  him.  Then  the  fiddler.  Knight  Folker,  spake:  "If 
it  scorn  you  not,  Hagen,  I  would  fain  hold  the  watch 
with  you  to-night,  until  the  early  morn." 

The  hero  then  thanked  Folker  in  loving  wise  :  "  Now 
God  of  heaven  requite  you,  dear  Folker.  In  all  my 
cares,  I  would  crave  none  other  than  you  alone,  when- 
ever I  had  need.  I  shall  repay  you  well,  and  death  hin- 
der me  not." 

Both  then  donned  their  shining  armor  and  either 
took  his  shield  in  hand,  walked  out  of  the  house  and 
stood  before  the  door.  Thus  they  cared  for  the  guests 
in  faithful  wise.  The  doughty  Folker  leaned  his  good 


248  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

shield  against  the  side  of  the  hall,  then  turned  him 
back  and  fetched  his  fiddle  and  served  his  friends  as 
well  befit  the  hero.  Beneath  the  door  of  the  house  he 
sate  him  down  upon  a  stone ;  bolder  fiddler  was  there 
never.  When  the  tones  of  the  strings  rang  forth  so 
sweetly,  the  proud  wanderers  gave  Folker  thanks.  At 
first  the  strings  twanged  so  that  the  whole  house  re- 
sounded ;  his  strength  and  his  skill  were  both  passing 
great.  Then  sweeter  and  softer  he  began  to  play,  and 
thus  many  a  care-worn  man  he  lulled  to  sleep.  When 
he  marked  that  all  had  fallen  asleep,  the  knight  took 
again  his  shield  and  left  the  room  and  took  his  stand 
before  the  tower,  and  there  he  guarded  the  wanderers 
against  Kriemhild's  men. 

'Twas  about  the  middle  of  the  night  (I  know  not 
but  what  it  happed  a  little  earlier),  that  bold  Folker 
spied  the  glint  of  a  helmet  afar  in  the  darkness.  Kriem- 
hild's men  would  fain  have  harmed  the  guests.  Then 
the  fiddler  spake  :  "  Sir  Hagen,  my  friend,  it  behooveth 
us  to  bear  these  cares  together.  Before  the  house  I  see 
armed  men  stand,  and  err  I  not,  I  ween,  they  would 
encounter  us ! " 

"Be  silent,"  quoth  Hagen,  "let  them  draw  nearer 
before  they  be  ware  of  us.  Then  will  helmets  be  dis- 
lodged by  the  swords  in  the  hands  of  us  twain.  They 
will  be  sent  back  to  Kriemhild  in  evil  plight." 

One  of  the  Hunnish  warriors  (full  soon  that  happed) 
marked  that  the  door  was  guarded.  How  quickly 
then  he  'spake  :  "  That  which  we  have  in  mind  may 
not  now  come  to  pass.  I  see  the  fiddler  stand  on 
guard.  On  his  head  he  weareth  a  glittering  helmet, 
shining  and  hard,  strong  and  whole.  His  armor  rings 


HOW   THEY  KEPT  THE  WATCH  249 

flash  out  like  fire.  By  him  standeth  Hagen  ;  in  sooth 
the  guests  be  guarded  well." 

Straightway  they  turned  again.  When  Folker  saw 
this,  wrathf ully  he  spake  to  his  comrade-at-arms :  "  Now 
let  me  go  from  the  house  to  the  warriors.  I  would  fain 
put  some  questions  to  Lady  Kriemhild's  men." 

"For  my  sake,  no,"  quoth  Hagen.  "If  ye, leave  the 
house,  the  doughty  knights  are  like  to  bring  you  in  such 
stress  with  their  swords,  that  I  must  aid  you  even  should 
it  be  the  death  of  all  my  kin.  As  soon  as  we  be  come 
into  the  fray,  twain  of  them,  or  four,  would  in  a  short 
time  run  into  the  house  and  would  bring  such  scathe 
upon  the  sleepers,  that  we  might  never  cease  to  mourn." 

Then  Folker  answered:  "Let  us  bring  it  to  pass 
that  they  note  that  I  have  seen  them,  so  that  Kriem- 
hild's men  may  not  deny  that  they  would  fain  have 
acted  faithlessly." 

Straightway  Folker  then  called  out  to  them  :  "  How 
go  ye  thus  armed,  ye  doughty  knights  ?  Would  ye  ride 
to  rob,  ye  men  of  Kriemhild  ?  Then  must  ye  have  the 
help  of  me  and  my  comrade-at-arms." 

To  this  none  made  reply.  Angry  grew  his  mood. 
"  Fy !  ye  evil  cowards,"  spake  the  good  knight,  "  would 
ye  have  murdered  us  asleep  ?  That  hath  been  done  full 
seldom  to  such  good  heroes." 

Then  the  queen  was  told  that  her  messengers  had 
compassed  naught.  Rightly  it  did  vex  her,  and  with 
wrathful  mood  she  made  another  plan.  Through  this 
brave  heroes  and  good  must  needs  thereafter  perish. 


ADVENTURE     XXXI1 

HOW    THEY    WENT    TO    CHURCH 

"  My  coat  of  mail  groweth  cold,"  said  Folker.  "  I  ween 
the  night  hath  run  its  course.  By  the  air  I  mark  that 
day  is  near." 

Then  they  waked  the  many  knights  who  still  lay 
sleeping.  The  light  of  dawn  shone  into  the  hall  upon  the 
strangers.  On  all  sides  Hagen  gan  wake  the  warriors, 
if  perchance  they  would  fain  go  to  the  minster  for  mass. 
Men  now  loudly  rang  the  bells  in  Christian  fashion. 
Heathens  and  Christians  did  not  sing  alike,  so  that  it 
was  seen  full  well  that  they  were  not  as  one.  Gunther's 
liegemen  now  would  go  to  church,  and  all  alike  had 
risen  from  their  beds.  The  champions  laced  them  into 
such  goodly  garments,  that  never  did  hero  bring  better 
clothes  to  the  land  of  any  king.  This  vexed  Hagen. 
He  spake  :  "  Heroes,  ye  should  wear  here  other  clothes. 
Certes,  ye  know  full  well  the  tales.  Instead  of  roses, 
bear  weapons  in  your  hands;  instead  of  jeweled  chap- 
lets,  your  bright  helms  and  good,  sith  ye  know  full 
well  the  wicked  Kriemhild's  mood.  Let  me  tell  you, 
we  must  fight  to-day,  so  instead  of  silken  shirts,  wear 
hauberks,  and  instead  of  rich  cloaks,  good  shields  and 
broad,  so  that  if  any  grow  angry  with  you,  ye  be  full 
armed.  Dear  my  lords,  and  all  my  kin  and  liegemen, 
go  willingly  to  church  and  make  plaint  to  the  mighty 
God  of  your  fears  and  need,  for  know  full  sure  that 
death  draweth  nigh  us.  Nor  must  ye  forget  to  confess 


HOW  THEY   WENT  TO   CHURCH  251 

aught  that  ye  have  done  and  stand  full  zealously  before 
your  God.  Of  this  I  warn  you,  noble  knights,  unless 
God  in  heaven  so  will,  ye  '11  never  more  hear  mass." 

So  the  princes  and  their  liegemen  went  to  the  min- 
ster. In  the  holy  churchyard  bold  Hagen  bade  them 
halt,  that  they  might  not  be  parted.  He  spake  :  uOf  a 
truth  none  knoweth  what  will  hap  to  us  from  the  Huns. 
Place,  my  friends,  your  shields  before  your  feet,  and  if 
any  proffer  you  cold  greeting,  repay  it  with  deep  and 
mortal  wounds.  That  is  Hagen's  counsel,  that  ye  may 
so  be  found  as  doth  befit  your  honor." 

Folker  and  Hagen,  the  twain,  then  hied  them  to  the 
spacious  minster.  This  was  clone  that  the  queen  might 
press  upon  them  in  the  crowd.  Certes,  she  was  passing 
grim.  Then  came  the  lord  of  the  land  and  his  fair  wife, 
her  body  adorned  with  rich  apparel ;  doughty  warriors, 
too,  were  seen  to  walk  beside  her.  One  saw  the  dust 
rise  high  from  Kriemhild's  band.  When  mighty  Etzel 
spied  the  kings  and  their  fellowship  thus  armed,  how 
quick  he  spake :  "  Why  do  I  see  my  friends  thus  go 
with  helmets  ?  Upon  my  troth,  it  grieveth  me,  and 
hath  any  done  them  aught,  I  shall  gladly  make  amends, 
as  doth  think  them  good.  Hath  any  made  heavy  their 
hearts  or  mood,  I  '11  show  them  well,  that  it  doth  irk 
me  much.   I  am  ready  for  whatever  they  command  me." 

To  this  Hagen  answered  :  "  None  hath  done  us  aught ; 
it  is  the  custom  of  my  lordings  that  they  go  armed  at 
all  high  feasts  for  full  three  days.  We  should  tell  Etzel, 
had  aught  been  done  us." 

Kriemhild  heard  full  well  what  Hagen  spake.  How 
right  hostilely  she  gazed  into  his  eyes!  She  would  not 
tell  the  custom  of  their  land,  albeit  she  had  known  it 


252  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

long  in  Burgundy.  However  grim  and  strong  the  hate 
she  bare  them,  yet  had  any  told  Etzel  the  truth,  he  would 
have  surely  hindered  what  later  happed.  Because  of 
their  great  haughtiness  they  scorned  to  tell  him.  When 
the  great  crowd  went  past  with  the  queen,  these  twain, 
Hagen  and  Folker,  would  not  step  back  more  than 
two  hand-breadths,  the  which  irked  the  Huns.  Forsooth 
they  had  to  jostle  with  the  lusty  heroes.  This  thought 
King  Etzel's  chamberlains  not  good.  Certes,  they  would 
have  fain  angered  the  champions,  but  that  they  durst 
not  before  the  noble  king.  So  there  was  much  jostling, 
but  nothing  more. 

When  they  had  worshiped  God  and  would  hence 
again,  many  a  Hunnish  warrior  horsed  him  passing 
soon.  At  Kriemhild's  side  stood  many  a  comely  maid, 
and  well  seven  thousand  knights  rode  with  the  queen. 
Kriemhild  with  her  ladies  sate  her  down  at  the  case- 
ments by  the  side  of  the  mighty  Etzel,  which  was  him 
lief,  for  they  would  watch  the  lusty  heroes  joust.  Ho, 
what  stranger  knights  rode  before  them  in  the  court ! 
Then  was  come  the  marshal  with  the  squires.  Bold 
Dankwart  had  taken  to  him  his  lord's  retainers  from 
the  Burgundian  land  ;  the  steeds  of  the  Nibelungs  they 
found  well  saddled.  When  now  the  kinars  and  their 
men  were  come  to  horse,  stalwart  Folker  gan  advise 
that  they  should  ride  a  joust  after  the  fashion  of  their 
land.  At  this  the  heroes  rode  in  lordly  wise ;  none  it 
irked  what  the  knight  had  counseled.  The  hurtling 
and  the  noise  waxed  loud,  as  the  many  men  rode  into 
the  broad  court.  Etzel  and  Kriemhild  themselves  be- 
held the  scene.  To  the  jousts  were  come  six  hundred 
knights  of  Dietrich's  men  to  match  the  strangers,  for 


HOW  THEY  WENT  TO  CHURCH  253 

they  would  have  pastime  with  the  Burgundians.  Fain 
would  they  have  done  it,  had  he  given  them  leave.  Ho, 
what  good  champions  rode  in  their  train  !  The  tale  was 
told  to  Sir  Dietrich  and  he  forbade  the  game  with  Gun- 
ther's  men ;  lie  feared  for  his  liegemen,  and  well  lie 
might. 

When  those  of  Berne  had  departed  thence,  there 
came  the  men  of  Riideger  from  Bechelaren,  five  hun- 
dred strong,  with  shields,  riding  out  before  the  hall. 
It  would  have  been  lief  to  the  margrave,  had  they  left 
it  undone.  Wisely  lie  rode  then  to  them  through  the 
press  and  said  to  his  knights,  that  they  were  ware  that 
Gunther's  men  were  evil-minded  toward  them.  If  they 
would  leave  off  the  jousting,  it  would  please  him  much. 
When  now  these  lusty  heroes  parted  from  them,  then 
came  those  of  Thuringia,  as  we  are  told,  and  well  a 
thousand  brave  men  from  Denmark.  From  the  tilting 
one  saw  many  truncheons1  flying  hence.  Irnfried  and 
Hawart  now  rode  into  the  tourney.  Proudly  those  from 
the  Rhine  awaited  them  and  offered  the  men  of  Thu- 
ringia many  a  joust.  Many  a  lordly  shield  was  riddled 
by  the  thrusts.  Thither  came  then  Sir  Bloedel  with 
three  thousand  men.  Well  was  he  seen  of  Etzel  and 
Kriemhild,  for  the  knightly  sports  happed  just  before 
the  twain.  The  queen  saw  it  gladly,  that  the  Burgun- 
dians might  come  to  grief.  Schrutan2  and  Gibecke,3 
Ramung  and  Horn  bog,  rode  into  the  tourney  in  Hun- 
nisli  wise.  To  the  heroes  from  Burgundian  land  they 
addressed  them.  High  above  the  roof  of  the  royal  hall 
the  spear-shafts  whirled.  Whatever  any  there  plied, 
't  was  but  a  friendly  rout.  Palace  and  hall  were  heard 
resounding  loud  through  the  clashing  of  the  shields  of 


254  '      THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

Gunther's  men.  With  great  honor  his  meiny  gained 
the  meed.  Their  pastime  was  so  mickle  and  so  great, 
that  from  beneath  the  housings  of  the  good  steeds, 
which  the  heroes  rode,  there  flowed  the  frothy  sweat. 
In  haughty  wise  they  encountered  with  the  Huns. 

Then  spake  the  fiddler,  Folker  the  minstrel :  "  I 
ween  these  warriors  dare  not  match  us.  I  've  aye  heard 
the  tale,  that  they  bear  us  hate,  and  forsooth  it  might 
never  fortune  better  for  them  than  now."  Again 
Folker  spake :  "  Let  our  steeds  be  now  led  away  to 
their  lodgings  and  let  us  joust  again  toward  eventide, 
and  there  be  time.  Perchance  the  queen  may  accord  to 
the  Burgundians  the  prize." 

Then  one  was  seen  riding  hither  so  proudly,  that 
none  of  all  the  Huns  could  have  done  the  like.  Certes, 
he  must  have  had  a  sweetheart  on  the  battlements.  As 
well  attired  he  rode  as  the  bride  of  any  noble  knight. 
At  sight  of  him  Folker  spake  again :  "  How  could  I 
give  this  over  ?  This  ladies'  darling  must  have  a  buffet. 
None  shall  prevent  me  and  it  shall  cost  him  dear.  In 
truth  I  reck  not,  if  it  vex  King  Etzel's  wife." 

"  For  my  sake,  No,"  spake  straightway  King  Gun- 
ther.  "  The  people  will  blame  us,  if  we  encounter  them. 
'T  will  befit  us  better  far,  an'  we  let  the  Huns  begin 
the  strife." 

King  Etzel  was  still  sitting  by  the  queen. 

"  I  '11  join  you  in  the  tourney,"  quoth  Hagen  then. 
"  Let  the  ladies  and  the  knights  behold  how  we  can 
ride.  That  will  be  well,  for  they'll  give  no  meed  to 
King  Gunther's  men." 

The  doughty  Folker  rode  into  the  lists  again,  which 
soon  gave  many  a  dame  great  dole.     His  spear  he 


HOW  THEY  WENT  TO   CHURCH  255 

thrust  through  the  body  of  the  clapper  Hun  ;  this  both 
maid  and  wife  were  seen  thereafter  to  bewail.  Full 
hard  and  fast  gan  Hag-en  and  his  liegemen  and  sixty 
of  his  knights  ride  towards  the  fiddler,  where  the  play 
was  on.  This  Etzel  and  Kriemhild  clearly  saw.  The 
three  kings  would  not  leave  their  minstrel  without  a 
guard  amidst  the  foe.  Cunningly  a  thousand  heroes 
rode ;  with  haughty  bearing  they  did  whatso  they 
would.  When  now  the  wealthy  Hun  was  slain,  men 
heard  his  kin  cry  out  and  wail.  All  the  courtiers  asked : 
"Who  hath  done  this  deed?" 

"  That  the  fiddler  did,  Folker,  the  valiant  minstrel." 
The  margrave's  kindred  from  the  Hunnish  land 
called  straightway  for  their  swords  and  shields,  and 
would  fain  have  done  Folker  to  death.  Fast  the  host 
gan  hasten  from  the  windows.  Great  rout  arose  from 
the  folk  on  every  side.  The  kings  and  their  fellow- 
ship, the  Burgundian  men,  alighted  before  the  hall  and 
drove  their  horses  to  the  rear.  Then  King  Etzel  came 
to  part  the  strife.  From  the  hand  of  a  kinsman  of  the 
Hun  he  wrenched  a  sturdy  weapon  and  drove  them  all 
back  again,  for  full  great  was  his  wrath.  "  Why  should 
my  courtesie  to  these  knights  go  all  for  naught?  Had 
ye  slain  this  minstrel  at  my  court,"  spake  King  Etzel, 
u  't  were  evil  done.  I  saw  full  well  how  he  rode,  when 
he  thrust  through  the  Hun,  that  it  happed  through 
stumbling,  without  any  fault  of  his.  Ye  must  let  my 
guests  have  peace." 

Thus  he  became  their  safe-guard.  To  the  stalls  men 
led  away  the  steeds  ;  many  a  varlet  they  had,  who 
served  them  well  with  zeal  in  every  service.  The  host 
now  hied  him  to  his  palace  with  his  friends,  nor  would 


256  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

he  let  any  man  grow  wroth  again.  Then  men  set  up 
the  tables  and  bare  forth  water  for  the  guests.  Forsooth 
the  men  from  the  Rhine  had  there  enow  of  stalwart 
foes.   'T  was  long  before  the  lords  were  seated. 

Meanwhile  Kriemhild's  fears  did  trouble  her  pass- 
ing sore.  She  spake :  "  My  lord  of  Berne,  I  seek  thy 
counsel,  help,  and  favor,  for  mine  affairs  do  stand  in 
anxious  wise." 

Then  Hildebrand,  a  worshipful  knight,  made  answer 
to  her :  "  And  any  slay  the  Nibelungs  for  the  sake  of 
any  hoard,  he  will  do  it  without  my  aid.  It  may  well 
repent  him,  for  they  be  still  unconquered,  these 
doughty  and  lusty  knights." 

Then  spake  Sir  Dietrich  in  his  courteous  wise : 
"Let  be  this  wish,  O  mighty  queen.  Thy  kinsmen 
have  done  me  naught  of  wrong,  that  I  should  crave  to 
match  these  valiant  knights  in  strife.  Thy  request 
honoreth  thee  little,  most  noble  queen,  that  thou  dost 
plot  against  the  life  of  thy  kinsfolk.  They  came  in 
hope  of  friendship  to  this  land.  Siegfried  will  not  be 
avenged  by  Dietrich's  hand." 

When  she  found  no  whit  of  faithlessness  in  the 
lord  of  Berne,  quickly  she  promised  Bloedel  a  broad 
estate,  that  Nudung '  owned  aforetime.  Later  he  was 
slain  by  Hagen,  so  that  he  quite  forgot  the  gift.  She 
spake :  "  Thou  must  help  me,  Sir  Bloedel,  forsooth  my 
foes  be  in  this  house,  who  slew  Siegfried,  my  dear  hus- 
band. Ever  will  I  serve  him,  that  helpeth  me  avenge 
this  deed." 

To  this  Bloedel  replied  :  "  My  lady,  now  may  ye 
know  that  because  of  Etzel  I  dare  not,  in  sooth,  advise 
to  hatred  against  them,  for  he  is  fain  to  see  thy  kins- 


HOW  THEY  WENT  TO   CHURCH  257 

men  at  his  court.  The  king  would  ne'er  forget  it  of  me, 
and  I  did  them  aught  of  wrong." 

"  Not  so,  Sir  Bloedel,  for  I  shall  ever  be  thy  friend. 
Certes,  I  '11  give  thee  silver  and  gold  as  guerdon  and  a 
comely  maid,  the  wife  of  Nudung,  whose  lovely  body 
thou  mayst  fain  caress.  I  '11  give  thee  his  land  and  all 
his  castles,  too,  so  that  thou  mayst  always  live  in  joy, 
Sir  Knight,  if  thou  dost  now  win  the  lands  where  Nu- 
dung dwelt.  Faithfully  will  I  keep,  whatso  I  vow  to 
thee  to-day." 

When  Sir  Bloedel  heard  the  guerdon,  and  that  the 
lady  through  her  beauty  would  befit  him  well,  he 
weened  to  serve  the  lovely  queen  in  strife.  Because  of 
this  the  champion  must  needs  lose  his  life.  To  the 
queen  he  spake :  "  Betake  you  again  to  the  hall,  and 
before  any  be  aware,  I  '11  begin  a  fray  and  Hagen 
must  atone  for  what  he  hath  done  you.  I  '11  deliver  to 
you  King  Gunther's  liegeman  bound.  Now  arm  you, 
my  men,"  spake  Bloedel.  "  We  must  hasten  to  the 
lodgings  of  the  foes,  for  King  Etzel's  wife  doth  crave  of 
me  this  service,  wherefore  we  heroes  must  risk  our  lives." 

When  the  queen  left  Bloedel  in  lust  of  battle,  she 
went  to  table  with  King  Etzel  and  his  men.  Evil 
counsels  had  she  held  against  the  guests.  Since  the 
strife  could  be  started  in  no  other  wise  (Kriemhild's 
ancient  wrong  still  lay  deep  buried  in  her  heart),  she 
bade  King  Etzel's  son  be  brought  to  table.  How 
might  a  woman  ever  do  more  ghastly  deed  for  ven- 
geance' sake  ?  Four  of  Etzel's  men 'went  hence  anon  and 
bare  Ortlieb,1  the  young  prince,  to  thelordings'  table, 
where  Hagen  also  sat.  Because  of  this  the  child  must 
needs  die  through  Hagen's  mortal  hate. 


258  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

When  now  the  mighty  king  beheld  his  son,  kindly- 
he  spake  to  the  kinsmen  of  his  wife  :  "  Now  see,  my 
friends,  this  is  the  only  son  of  me  and  of  your  sister. 
This  may  be  of  profit  to  you  all,  for  if  he  take  after 
his  kinsmen,  he  '11  become  a  valiant  man,  mighty  and 
noble,  strong  and  fashioned  fair.  Twelve  lands  will 
I  give  him,  and  I  live  yet  a  while.  Thus  may  the 
hand  of  young  Ortlieb  serve  you  well.  I  do  therefore 
beseech  you,  dear  friends  of  mine,  that  when  ye  ride 
again  to  your  lands  upon  the  Rhine,  ye  take  with  you 
your  sister's  son  and  act  full  graciously  toward  the 
child,  and  bring  him  up  in  honor  till  he  become  a  man. 
Hath  any  done  you  aught  in  all  these  lands,  he'll  help 
you  to  avenge  it,  when  he  groweth  up." 

This  speech  was  also  heard  by  Kriemhild,  King 
Etzel's  wife. 

"These  knights  might  well  trust  him,"  quoth  Hagen, 
**  if  he  grew  to  be  a  man,  but  the  young  prince  doth 
seem  so  fey,1  that  I  shall  seldom  be  seen  to  ride  to 
Ortlieb's  court." 

The  king  glanced  at  Hagen,  for  much  the  speech 
did  irk  him  ;  and  though  the  gentle  prince  said  not  a 
word,  it  grieved  his  heart  and  made  him  heavy  of  his 
mood.  Nor  was  Hagen's  mind  now  bent  on  pastime. 
But  all  the  lordings  and  the  king  were  hurt  by  what 
Hagen  had  spoken  of  the  child  ;  it  vexed  them  sore, 
that  they  were  forced  to  hear  it.  They  wot  not  the 
things  as  yet,  which  should  happen  to  them  through 
this  warrior. 


ADVENTURE  XXXII 

HOW  BLOEDEL  WAS  SLAIN 

Full  ready  were  now  Bloedel' s  warriors.  A  thousand 
hauberks  strong",  they  hied  them  to  where  Dankwart 
sate  at  table  with  the  squires.  Then  the  very  greatest 
hate  arose  among  the  heroes.  When  Sir  Bloedel  drew 
near  the  tables,  Dankwart,  the  marshal,  greeted  him 
in  courteous  wise.  "  Welcome,  Sir  Bloedel,  in  our 
house.  In  truth  me-wondereth  at  thy  coming.  What 
doth  it  mean  ?  " 

"  Forsooth,  thou  needst  not  greet  me,"  so  spake 
Bloedel ;  "  for  this  coming  of  mine  doth  mean  thine 
end.  Because  of  Hagen,  thy  brother,  by  whom  Sieg- 
fried was  slain,  thou  and  many  other  knights  must 
suffer  here  among  the  Huns." 

"  Not  so,  Sir  Bloedel,"  quoth  Dankwart,  "  else  this 
journey  to  your  court  might  rue  us  sore.  I  was  but 
a  little  child  when  Siegfried  lost  his  life.  I  know  not 
what  blame  King  Etzel's  wife  could  put  on  me." 

"  Of  ;i  truth,  1  wot  not  how  to  tell  you  of  these  tales; 
thy  kinsmen,  (i  anther  and  Hagen,  did  the  deed.  Now 
ward  you,  ye  wanderers,  ye  may  not  live.  With  your 
death  must  ye  become  Kriemhild's  pledge." 

"  And  ye  will  not  turn  you,"  quoth  Dankwart, 
"then  do  my  entreaties  rue  me;  they  had  better  far 
been  spared." 

The  doughty  knight  and  brave  sprang  up  from  the 
table ;  a  sharp  weapon,  mickle  and  long,  he  drew  and 


2G0  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

dealt  Bloedel  so  fierce  a  sword-stroke  that  his  head  lay 
straightway  at  his  feet.  "  Let  that  be  thy  marriage 
morning  gift,"  '  spake  Dank  wart,  the  knight,  "  for 
Nudung's  bride,  whom  thou  wouldst  cherish  with  thy 
love.  They  can  betroth  her  to  another  man  upon  the 
morn.  Should  he  crave  the  dowry,  't  will  be  given  to 
him  eftsoon."  A  faithful  Hun  had  told  him  that  the 
queen  did  plan  against  them  such  grievous  wrongs. 

When  Bloedel's  men  beheld  their  lord  lie  slain,  no 
longer  would  they  stand  this  from  the  guests.  With 
uplifted  swords  they  rushed,  grim  of  mood,  upon  the 
youthful  squires.  Many  a  one  did  rue  this  later. 
Loudly  Dankwart  called  to  all  the  fellowship  :  "  Ye 
see  well,  noble  squires,  how  matters  stand.  Now  ward 
you,  wanderers !  Forsooth  we  have  great  need,  though 
Kriemhild  asked  us  here  in  right  friendly  wise." 

Those  that  had  no  sword  reached  down  in  front  of 
the  benches  and  lifted  many  a  long  footstool  by  its  legs. 
The  Burgundian  squires  would  now  abide  no  longer, 
but  with  the  heavy  stools  they  dealt  many  bruises 
through  the  helmets.  How  fiercely  the  stranger  youths 
did  ward  them !  Out  of  the  house  they  drove  at  last 
the  men-at-arms,  but  five  hundred  of  them,  or  better, 
stayed  behind  there  dead.  The  fellowship  was  red  and 
wet  with  blood. 

These  grievous  tales  were  told  now  to  Etzel's 
knights ;  grim  was  their  sorrow,  that  Bloedel  and  his 
men  were  slain.  This  Hagen's  brother  and  his  squires 
had  done.  Before  the  king  had  learned  it,  full  two 
thousand  Huns  or  more  armed  them  through  hatred 
and  hied  them  to  the  squires  (this  must  needs  be),  and 
of  the  fellowship  they  left  not  one  alive.  The  faithless 


HOW  BLOEUEL  WAS   SLAIN  261 

Huns  brought  a  mickle  band  before  the  house.  Well 
the  strangers  stood  their  ground,  but  what  booted  their 
doughty  prowess  ?  Dead  they  all  must  lie.  Then  in  a 
few  short  hours  there  rose  a  fearful  dole.  Now  ye  may 
hear  wonders  of  a  monstrous  thing.  Nine  thousand 
yeomen  lay  there  slain  and  thereto  twelve  good  knights 
of  Dankwart's  men.  One  saw  him  stand  alone  still  by 
the  foe.  The  noise  was  hushed,  the  din  had  died  away, 
when  Dankwart,  the  hero,  gazed  over  his  shoulders. 
He  spake :  "  Woe  is  me,  for  the  friends  whom  I  have 
lost !   Now  must  I  stand,  alas,  alone  among  my  foes." 

Upon  his  single  person  the  sword-strokes  fell  thick 
and  fast.  The  wife  of  many  a  hero  must  later  mourn  for 
this.  Higher  he  raised  his  shield,  the  thong  he  lowered  ; 
the  rings  of  many  an  armor  he  made  to  drip  with  blood. 
"  Woe  is  me  of  all  this  sorrow,"  quoth  Aldrian's  son.1 
'"Give  way  now,  Hunnish  warriors,  and  let  me  out  into 
the  breeze,  that  the  air  may  cool  me,  fight- weary  man." 

Then  men  saw  the  warrior  walk  forth  in  full  lordly 
wise.  As  the  strife-weary  man  sprang  from  the  house, 
how  many  added  swords  rang  on  his  helmet !  Those 
that  had  not  seen  what  wonders  his  hand  had  wrought 
sprang  towards  the  hero  of  the  Burgundian  land. 
"  Now  would  to  God,"  quoth  Dankwart,  "  that  I 
might  find  a  messenger  who  could  let  my  brother  llagen 
know  I  stand  in  such  a  plight  before  these  knights. 
He  would  help  me  hence,  or  lie  dead  at  my  side." 

Then  spake  the  Hunnish  champions:  "Thou  must 
be  the  messenger  thyself,  when  we  bear  thee  hence  dead 
before  thy  brother.  For  the  first  time  Gunther's  vassal 
will  then  become  acquaint  with  grief.  Passing  great 
scathe  hast  thou  done  King  Etzel  here." 


262  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Quoth  he :  "  Now  give  over  these  threats  and  stand 
further  back,  or  I  '11  wet  the  armor  rings  of  some  with 
blood.  1 11  tell  the  tale  at  court  myself  and  make  plaint 
to  my  lords  of  my  great  dole." 

So  sorely  he  dismayed  King  Etzel's  men  that  they 
durst  not  withstand  him  with  their  swords,  so  they  shot 
such  great  store  of  darts  into  his  shield  that  he  must 
needs  lay  it  from  his  hand  for  very  heaviness.  Then 
they  weened  to  overpower  him,  sith  he  no  longer  bare 
a  shield.  Ho,  what  deep  wounds  he  struck  them 
through  their  helmets  !  From  this  many  a  brave  man 
was  forced  to  reel  before  him,  and  bold  Dankwart 
gained  thereby  great  praise.  From  either  side  they 
sprang  upon  him,  but  in  truth  a  many  of  them  entered 
the  fray  too  soon.  Before  his  foes  he  walked,  as  doth  a 
boar  to  the  woods  before  the  dogs.  How  might  he  be 
more  brave  ?  His  path  was  ever  wet  with  reeking  blood. 
Certes,  no  single  champion  might  ever  fight  better  with 
his  foes  than  he  had  done.  Men  now  saw  Hagen's 
brother  go  to  court  in  lordly  wise.  Sewers  x  and  cup- 
bearers heard  the  ring  of  swords,  and  full  many  a  one 
cast  from  his  hand  the  drink  and  whatever  food  he  bare 
to  court.   Enow  strong  foes  met  Dankwart  at  the  stairs. 

"  How  now,  ye  sewers,"  spake  the  weary  knight. 
"  Forsooth  ye  should  serve  well  the  guests  and  bear  to 
the  lords  good  cheer  and  let  me  bring  the  tidings  to  my 
dear  masters." 

Those  that  sprang  towards  him  on  the  steps  to 
show  their  prowess,  he  dealt  so  heavy  a  sword-stroke, 
that  for  fear  they  must  needs  stand  further  back.  His 
mighty  strength  wrought  mickle  wonders. 


ADVENTURE     XXXIII 

HOW  THE  BURGUNDIANS  FOUGHT  THE  HUNS 

When  brave  Dankwart  was  come  within  the  door,  he 
bade  King  Etzel's  meiny  step  aside.  His  garments 
dripped  with  blood  and  in  his  hand  he  bai*e  unsheathed 
a  mighty  sword.  Full  loud  he  called  out  to  the  knight : 
"  Brother  Hagen,  ye  sit  all  too  long,  forsooth.  To  you 
and  to  God  in  heaven  do  I  make  plaint  of  our  woe. 
Our  knights  and  squires  all  lie  dead  within  their  lodge- 
ments." 

He  called  in  answer  :  "  Who  hath  done  this  deed  ?  " 

"  That  Sir  Bloedel  hath  done  with  his  liegemen, 
but  he  hath  paid  for  it  dearly,  as  I  can  tell  you,  for 
with  mine  own  hands  I  struck  off  his  head." 

"  It  is  but  little  scathe,"  quoth  Hagen,  "  if  one  can 
only  say  of  a  knight  that  he  hath  lost  his  life  at  a  war- 
rior's hands.  Stately  dames  shall  mourn  him  all  the 
less.  Now  tell  me,  brother  Dankwart,  how  comes  it  that 
ye  be  so  red  of  hue  ?  Ye  suffer  from  wounds  great 
dole,  I  ween.  If  there  be  any  in  the  land  that  hath  done 
you  this,  't  will  cost  his  life,  and  the  foul  fiend  save  him 
not." 

"  Ye  see  me  safe  and  sound ;  my  weeds  alone  are 
wet  with  blood.  This  hath  happed  from  wounds  of  other 
men,  of  whom  I  have  slain  so  many  a  one  to-day  that, 
had  I  to  swear  it,  I  could  not  tell  the  tale." 

"  Brother  Dankwart,"  he  spake,  "  guard  us  the  door 
and  let  not  a  single  Hun  go  forth.  I  will  hold  speech 


264  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

with  the  warriors,  as  our  need  constraineth  us,  for  our 
nieiny  lieth  dead  before  them,  undeserved." 

"  If  I  must  be  chamberlain,"  quoth  the  valiant  man, 
"  I  well  wot  how  to  serve  such  mighty  kings  and  will 
guard  the  stairway,  as  doth  become  mine  honors." 
Naught  could  have  been  more  loth  to  Kriemhild's 
knights. 

"Much  it  wondereth  me,"  spake  Hagen,  "what  the 
Hunnish  knights  be  whispering  in  here.  I  ween,  they  'd 
gladly  do  without  the  one  that  standeth  at  the  door, 
and  who  told  the  courtly  tale  to  us  Burgundians.  Long 
since  I  have  heard  it  said  of  Kriemhild,  that  she  would 
not  leave  unavenged  her  dole  of  heart.  Now  let  us  drink 
to  friendship1  and  pay  for  the  royal  wine.  The  young 
lord  of  the  Huns  shall  be  the  first." 

Then  the  good  knight  Hagen  smote  the  child  Ort- 
lieb,  so  that  the  blood  spurted  up  the  sword  towards 
his  hand  and  the  head  fell  into  the  lap  of  the  queen.  At 
this  there  began  a  murdering,  grim  and  great,  among 
the  knights.  Next  he  dealt  the  master  who  taught  the 
child  a  fierce  sword-stroke  with  both  his  hands,  so  that 
his  head  fell  quickly  beneath  the  table  to  the  ground. 
A  piteous  meed  it  was,  which  he  meted  out  to  the  master. 
Hagen  then  spied  a  gleeman  sitting  at  King  Etzel's 
board.  In  his  wrath  he  hied  him  thither  and  struck  off 
his  right  hand  upon  the  fiddle.  "  Take  this  as  message 
to  the  Burgundian  land." 

"  Woe  is  me  of  my  hand,"  spake  the  minstrel  Werbel. 
"  Sir  Hagen  of  Troneg,  what  had  I  done  to  you  ?  I 
came  in  good  faith  to  your  masters'  land.  How  can 
I  now  thrum  the  tunes,  sith  I  have  lost  my  hand  ?  " 

Little  recked  Hagen,  played  he  nevermore.    In  the 


HOW  THE  BURGUNDIANS  FOUGHT  THE  HUNS    265 

hall  he  dealt  out  fierce  deadly  wounds  to  Etzel's  war- 
riors, passing  many  of  whom  he  slew.  Enow  of  folk  in 
the  house  he  did  to  death.  The  doughty  Folker  now 
sprang  up  from  the  board  ;  loud  rang  in  his  hands  his 
fiddle  bow.  Rudely  did  Gunther's  minstrel  play.  Ho, 
what  foes  he  made  him  among  the  valiant  Huns  !  The 
three  noble  kings,  too,  sprang  up  from  the  table.  Gladly 
would  they  have  parted  the  fray,  or  ever  greater  scathe 
was  done.  With  all  their  wit  they  could  not  hinder  it, 
when  Folker  and  Hagen  gan  rage  so  sore.  When  that 
the  lord  of  the  Rhine  beheld  the  fray  imparted,  the 
prince  dealt  his  foes  many  gaping  wounds  himself 
through  the  shining1  armor  rings.  That  he  was  a  hero 
of  his  hands,  he  gave  great  proof.  Then  the  sturdy 
Gemot  joined  the  strife.  Certes,  he  did  many  a  hero 
of  the  Huns  to  death  with  a  sharp  sword,  the  which 
Riideger  had  given  him.  Mighty  wounds  he  dealt  King 
Etzel's  warriors.  Now  the  young  son  of  Lady  Uta 
rushed  to  the  fray.  Gloriously  his  sword  rang  on  the 
helmets  of  Etzel's  warriors  from  the  Hunnish  land. 
Full  mickle  wonders  were  wrought  by  bold  Giselher's 
hand.  But  how  so  doughty  they  all  were,  the  kings 
and  their  liegemen,  yet  Folker  was  seen  to  stand  before 
them  all  against  the  foe;  a  good  hero  he.  Many  a  one 
he  made  to  fall  in  his  blood  through  wounds.  Etzel's 
men  did  fend  them,  too,  full  well,  yet  one  saw  the 
strangers  go  hewing  with  their  gleaming  swords  through 
the  royal  hall  and  on  every  side  was  heard  great  sound 
of  wail.  Those  without  would  now  fain  be  with  their 
friends  within,  but  at  the  entrance  towers  they  found 
small  gain.  Those  within  had  gladly  been  without  the 
hall,  but  Dankwart  let  none  go  either  up  or  down  the 


266  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

steps.  Therefore  there  rose  before  the  towers  a  mighty 
press,  and  helmets  rang  loudly  from  the  sword-blows. 
Bold  Dankwart  came  into  great  stress  thereby ;  this 
his  brother  feared,  as  his  loyalty  did  bid  him. 

Loudly  then  Hagen  called  to  Folker :  "  See  ye  yon- 
der, comrade,  my  brother  stand  before  the  Hunnish 
warriors  amid  a  rain  of  blows?  Friend,  save  my  brother, 
or  ever  we  lose  the  knight." 

"  That  will  I  surely,"  quoth  the  minstrel,  and  through 
the  palace  he  went  a-fiddling,  his  stout  sword  ringing 
often  in  his  hand.  Great  thanks  were  tendered  by  the 
warriors  from  the  Rhine.  Bold  Folker  spake  to  Dank- 
wart :  "  Great  discomfiture  have  ye  suffered  to-day, 
therefore  your  brother  bade  me  hasten  to  your  aid. 
Will  ye   stand  without,   so  will  I   stand  within." 

Sturdy  Dankwart  stood  without  the  door  and  guarded 
the  staircase  against  whoever  came,  wherefore  men 
heard  the  swords  resound  in  the  heroes'  hands.  Folker 
of  Burgundy  land  performed  the  same  within.  Across 
the  press  the  bold  fiddler  cried  :  "  Friend  Hagen,  the 
hall  is  locked  ;  forsooth  King  Etzel's  door  is  bolted  well. 
The  hands  of  two  heroes  guard  it,  as  with  a  thousand 
bars."  When  Hagen  of  Troneg  beheld  the  door  so  well 
defended,  the  famous  hero  and  good  slung  his  shield 
upon  his  back  and  gan  avenge  the  wrongs  that  had  been 
done  him  there.  His  foes  had  now  no  sort  of  hope  to  live. 

When  now  the  lord  of  Berne,  the  king  of  the  Ame- 
lungs,1  beheld  aright  that  the  mighty  Hagen  broke  so 
many  a  helm,  upon  a  bench  he  sprang  and  spake  : 
"  Hagen  poiaretk  out  the  very  worst  of  drinks." 

The  host,  too,  was  sore  adread,  as  behooved  him 
now,  for  his  life  was  hardly  safe  from  these  his  foes. 


HOW  THE  BURGUNDIANS  FOUGHT  THE  HUNS  267 

O  how  many  clear  friends  were  snatched  away  before 
his  eyes !  He  sate  full  anxious ;  what  booted  it  him  that 
he  was  king  ?  Haughty  Kriemhild  now  cried  aloud  to 
Dietrich : "  Pray  help  me  hence  alive,  most  noble  knight, 
by  the  virtues  of  all  the  princes  of  the  Amelung  land. 
If  Hagen  reach  me,  I  shall  grasp  death  by  the  hand." 

"  How  shall  I  help  you,  noble  queen  ?  "  spake  Sir 
Dietrich.  "  I  fear  for  myself  in  sooth.  These  men  of 
Gunther  be  so  passing  wroth  that  at  this  hour  I  can- 
not guard  a  soul." 

"  Nay,  not  so,  Sir  Dietrich,  noble  knight  and  good. 
Let  thy  chivalrous  mood  appear  to-day  and  help  me 
hence,  or  I  shall  die."  Passing  great  cause  had  Kriem- 
hild for  this  fear. 

"  I  '11  try  to  see  if  I  may  help  you,  for  it  is  long- 
since  that  I  have  seen  so  many  good  knights  so  bitterly 
enraged.  Of  a  truth  I  see  blood  spurting  through  the 
helmets  from  the  swords." 

Loudly  the  chosen  knight  gan  call,  so  that  his  voice 
rang  forth  as  from  a  bison's  horn,  until  the  broad 
castle  resounded  with  his  force.  Sir  Dietrich's  strength 
was  passing  great  in  truth. 

When  Gunther  heard  this  man  cry  out  in  the  heated 
strife,  he  began  to  heed.  lie  spake :  "  Dietrich's  voice 
hath  reached  mine  ears,  I  ween  our  champions  have  be- 
reft  him  of  some  friend  to-day.  I  see  him  on  the  table, 
he  doth  beckon  with  his  hand.  Ye  friends  and  kins- 
men from  Burgundian  land,  give  over  the  strife.  Let 's 
hear  and  see  what  here  hath  fortuned  to  the  knight 
from  my  men-at-arms." 

When  Gunther  thus  begged  and  bade  in  the  stress 
of  the  fray,  they  sheathed  their  swords.  Passing  great 


268  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

was  his  power,  so  that  none  struck  a  blow.  Soon  enow 
he  asked  the  tidings  of  the  knight  of  Berne.  He  spake  : 
"  Most  noble  Dietrich,  what  hath  happed  to  you  through 
these  my  friends?  I  am  minded  to  do  you  remedy  and 
to  make  amends.  If  any  had  done  you  aught,  't  would 
grieve  me  sore." 

Then  spake  Sir  Dietrich  :  "  Naught  hath  happed  to 
me,  but  I  pray  you,  let  me  leave  this  hall  and  this  fierce 
strife  under  your  safe-guard,  with  my  men.  For  this 
favor  I  will  serve  you  ever." 

"  How  entreat  ye  now  so  soon,"  quoth  Wolfhart  l 
then.  "  Forsooth  the  fiddler  hath  not  barred  the  door  so 
strong,  but  what  we  may  open  it  enow  to  let  us  pass." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  spake  Sir  Dietrich  ;  "  the  devil 
a  whit  have  ye  ever  done." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther  :  "  I  will  grant  your  boon. 
Lead  from  the  hall  as  few  or  as  many  as  ye  will,  save 
my  foes  alone  ;  they  must  remain  within.  Right  ill  have 
they  treated  me  in  the  Hunnish  land." 

When  Dietrich  heard  these  words,  he  placed  his  arm 
around  the  high-born  queen,  whose  fear  was  passing 
great.  On  his  other  side  he  led  King  Etzel  with  him 
hence  ;  with  Dietrich  there  also  went  six  hundred  stately 
men. 

Then  spake  the  noble  Margrave  Rudeger :  "  Shall 
any  other  who  would  gladly  serve  you  come  from  this 
hall,  let  us  hear  the  tale,  and  lasting  peace  shall  well 
befit  good  friends." 

To  this  Giselher  of  the  Burgundian  land  replied  : 
"  Peace  and  friendship  be  granted  you  by  us,  sith  ye 
are  constant  in  your  lealty.  Ye  and  all  your  men,  ye 
may  go  hence  fearlessly  with  these  your  friends." 


HOW  THE  BURGCNDIANS  FOUGHT  THE  HUNS    269 

"When  Sir  Riideger  voided  the  hall,  there  followed 
him,  all  told,  five  hundred  men  or  more,  kinsmen  and 
vassals  of  the  lord  of  Bechelaren,  from  whom  King 
Gunther  later  gained  great  scathe.  Then  a  Hunnish 
champion  spied  Etzel  walking  close  by  Dietrich.  He, 
too,  would  take  this  chance,  but  the  fiddler  dealt  him 
such  a  blow  that  his  head  fell  soon  before  King  Etzel's 
feet.  When  the  lord  of  the  land  was  come  outside  the 
house,  he  turned  him  about  and  gazed  on  Folker.  "  Woe 
is  me  of  these  guests.  This  is  a  direful  need,  that  all 
my  warriors  should  lie  low  in  death  before  them.  Alas 
for  the  feasting,"  quoth  the  noble  king.  "  Like  a  savage 
boar  there  fighteth  one  within,  hight  Folker,  who  is  a 
gleeman.  I  thank  my  stars  that  I  escaped  this  fiend. 
His  glees  have  an  evil  sound,  the  strokes  of  his  bow 
draw  blood  ;  forsooth  his  measures  fell  many  a  hero 
dead.  I  wot  not,  with  what  this  minstrel  twitteth  us, 
for  I  have  never  had  such  baleful  guest." 

They  had  permitted  whom  they  would  to  leave  the 
hall.  Then  there  arose  within  a  mighty  uproar  ;  sorely 
the  guests  avenged  what  there  had  happed  them.  Ho, 
what  helmets  bold  Folker  broke!  The  noble  King 
Gunther  turned  him  toward  the  sound.  "  Hear  ye  the 
measures,  Hagen,  which  Folker  yonder  fiddleth  with 
the  Huns,  when  any  draweth  near  the  towers?  'Tis  a 
blood-red  stroke  he  useth  with  the  bow." 

"  It  rueth  me  beyond  all  measure,"  quoth  Hagen, 
"  that  in  this  hall  I  sate  me  down  to  rest  before  the 
hero  did.  I  was  his  comrade  and  he  was  mine ;  and  come 
we  ever  home  again,  we  shall  still  be  so,  in  loyal  wise. 
Now  behold,  most  noble  king,  Folker  is  thy  friend,  he 
earneth  gladly  thy  silver  and  thy  gold.   His  fiddle  bow 


270  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

cloth  cut  through  the  hardest  steel,  on  the  helmets  he 
breaketh  the  bright  and  shining  gauds  ! '  Never  have  I 
seen  fiddler  stand  in  such  lordly  wise  as  the  good  knight 
Folker  hath  stood  to-day.  His  glees  resound  through 
shield  and  helmet.  Certes  he  shall  ride  good  steeds  and 
wear  lordlv  raiment." 

Of  all  the  kinsmen  of  the  Huns  within  the  hall,  not 
one  of  these  remained  alive.  Thus  the  clash  of  arms 
died  out,  since  none  strove  with  them  longer.  The  lusty 
knights  and  bold  now  laid  aside  their  swords. 


ADVENTURE   XXXIV 

HOW    THEY    CAST    OUT    THE    DEAD 

The  lordings  sate  them  down  for  weariness.  Folker 
and  Hagen  came  forth  from  the  hall ;  upon  their  shields 
the  haughty  warriors  leaned.  Wise  words  were  spoken 
by  the  twain.  Then  Knight  Giselher  of  Burgundy 
spake  :  "  Forsooth,  dear  friends,  ye  may  not  ease  you 
yet ;  ye  must  bear  the  dead  from  out  the  hall.  I  '11  tell 
you,  of  a  truth,  we  shall  be  attacked  again.  They  must 
no  longer  lie  here  beneath  our  feet.  Ere  the  Huns 
vanquish  us  by  storm,  we  '11  yet  hew  wounds,  which 
shall  ease  my  heart.  For  this,"  quoth  Giselher,  "  I  have 
a  steadfast  mind." 

"Well  is  me  of  such  a  lord,"  spake  then  Hagen. 
"  This  rede  which  my  young  master  hath  given  us 
to-day  would  befit  no  one  but  a  knight.  At  this,  Bur- 
gundians,  ye  may  all  stand  glad." 

Then  they  followed  the  rede,  and  to  the  door  they 
bare  seven  thousand  dead,  the  which  they  cast  outside. 
D"wn  they  fell  before  the  stairway  to  the  hall,  and 
from  their  kinsmen  rose  a  full  piteous  wail.  Some  there 
were  with  such  slight  wounds  that,  had  they  been  more 
gently  treated,  they  would  have  waxed  well  again ;  but 
from  the  lofty  fall,  they  must  needs  lie  dead.  Their 
friends  bewailed  this,  and  forsooth  they  had  good 
cause. 

Then  spake  Folker,  the  fiddler,  a  lusty  knight : 
"  Now  I  mark  the  truth  of  this,  as  hath  been  told  me. 


272  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

The   Huns  be  cravens,  like  women   they  wail ;  they 
should  rather  nurse  these  sorely  wounded  men." 

A  margrave  weened,  he  spake  through  kindness. 
Seeing  one  of  his  kinsmen  lying  in  the  blood,  he  clasped 
him  in  his  arms  and  would  have  borne  him  hence,  when 
the  bold  minstrel  shot  him  above  the  dead  to  death.  The 
flight  began  as  the  others  saw  this  deed,  and  all  fell  to 
cursing  this  selfsame  minstrel.  He  snatched  a  javelin, 
sharp  and  hard,  the  which  had  been  hurled  at  him  by 
a  Hun,  and  cast  it  with  might  across  the  court,  far 
over  the  folk.  Thus  he  forced  Etzel's  warriors  to  take 
lodgement  further  from  the  hall.  On  every  side  the 
people  feared  his  mighty  prowess. 

Many  thousand  men  now  stood  before  the  hall.  Fol- 
ker  and  Hagen  gan  speak  to  Etzel  all  their  mind,  where- 
from  these  heroes  bold  and  good  came  thereafter  into 
danger.  Quoth  Hagen :  "  'T  would  well  beseem  the 
people's  hope,  if  the  lords  would  fight  in  the  foremost 
ranks,  as  doth  each  of  my  lordings  here.  They  hew 
through  the  helmets,  so  that  the  blood  doth  follow  the 
sword." 

Etzel  was  brave  ;  he  seized  his  shield.  "  Now  fare 
warily,"  spake  Lady  Kriemhild,  "  and  offer  the  war- 
riors gold  upon  your  shield.  If  Hagen  doth  but  reach 
you  there,  ye  '11  be  hand  in  hand  with  death." 

The  king  was  so  bold  he  would  not  turn  him  back,  the 
which  doth  now  seldom  hap  from  so  mighty  a  lord.  By 
his  shield-thong  they  had  to  draw  him  hence.  Once  again 
grim  Hagen  began  to  mock  him.  "  It  is  a  distant  kin- 
ship," quoth  Hagen,  the  knight,  "  that  bindeth  Etzel  and 
Siegfried.  He  loved  Kriemhild,  or  ever  she  laid  eyes  on 
thee.    Most  evil  king,  why  dost  thou  plot  against  me?  " 


HOW  THEY  CAST   OUT  THE   DEAD  273 

Kriemhild,  the  wife  of  the  noble  king1,  heard  this 
speech  ;  angry  she  grew  that  he  durst  thus  revile  her 
before  King  EtzeFs  liegemen.  Therefore  she  again 
began  to  plot  against  the  strangers.  She  spake  :  "  For 
him  that  slayeth  me  Hagen  of  Troneg  and  bringeth 
me  his  head,  I  will  fill  King  Etzel's  shield  with  ruddy 
gold,  thereto  will  I  give  him  as  guerdon  many  goodly 
lands  and  castles." 

"  Now  I  know  not  for  what  they  wait,"  spake  the 
minstrel.  "  Never  have  I  seen  heroes  stand  so  much 
like  cowards,  when  one  heard  proffered  such  goodly 
wasre.  Forsooth  King  Etzel  should  never  be  their  friend 
again.  Many  of  those  who  so  basely  eat  the  lording's 
bread,  and  now  desert  him  in  the  greatest  need,  do  I 
see  stand  here  as  cravens,  and  yet  would  pass  for  brave. 
May  shame  ever  be  their  lot !  " 


ADVENTURE   XXXV 

HOW    IRING    WAS    SLAIN 

Then  cried  Margrave  Iring  of  Denmark :  "  I  have 
striven  for  honor  now  long  time,  and  in  the  storm 
of  battle  have  been  among  the  best.  Now  bring  me 
my  harness,  for  in  sooth  I  will  encounter  me  with 
Hagen." 

UI  would  not  counsel  that,"  spake  Hagen,  "but  bid 
the  Hunnish  knights  stand  further  back.  If  twain  of 
you  or  three  leap  into  the  hall,  I  '11  send  them  back 
sore  wounded  down  the  steps." 

"  Not  for  that  will  1  give  it  over,"  quoth  Iring  again. 
"  I  've  tried  before  such  daring  things ;  in  truth  with 
my  good  sword  I  will  encounter  thee  alone.  What 
availeth  all  thy  boasting,  which  thou  hast  done  in 
words  ?  " 

Then  were  soon  arrayed  the  good  Knight  Iring  and 
Irnfried  of  Thuringia,  a  daring  youth,  and  the  stalwart 
Hawart  and  full  a  thousand  men.  Whatever  Iring 
ventured,  they  would  all  fain  give  him  aid.  Then 
the  fiddler  spied  a  mighty  troop,  that  strode  along  well 
armed  with  Iring.  Upon  their  heads  they  bare  good 
helmets.  At  this  bold  Folker  waxed  a  deal  full  wroth  of 
mood.  "  See  ye,  friend  Hagen,  Iring  striding  yonder, 
who  vowed  to  match  you  with  his  sword  alone  ?  How 
doth  lying  beseem  a  hero?  Much  that  misliketh  me. 
There  walk  with  him  full  a  thousand  knights  or  more, 
well  armed." 


HOW  IRING  WAS  SLAIN  275 

"Say  not  that  I  lie,"  spake  Havvart's  liegeman. 
"  Gladly  will  I  perform  what  I  have  vowed,  nor  will 
I  desist  therefrom  through  any  fear.  However  fright- 
ful Hagen  be,  I  will  meet  him  single-handed." 

On  his  knees  Iring  begged  both  kinsmen  and  vassals 
to  let  him  match  the  knight  alone.  This  they  did  un- 
willingly, for  well  they  knew  the  haughty  Hagen  from 
the  Burgundian  land.  But  Iring  begged  so  long  that 
at  last  it  happed.  When  the  fellowship  beheld  his  wish 
and  that  he  strove  for  honor,  they  let  him  go.  Then  a 
fierce  conflict  rose  between  the  twain.  Iring  of  Den- 
mark, the  peerless  high-born  knight,  bare  high  his 
spear  and  covered  him  with  his  shield.  Swiftly  he 
rushed  on  Hagen  before  the  hall,  while  a  great  shout 
arose  from  all  the  knights  around.  With  might  and 
main  they  cast  the  spears  with  their  hands  through  the 
sturdy  shields  upon  their  shining  armor,  so  that  the 
shafts  whirled  high  in  air.  Then  the  two  brave  men 
and  fierce  reached  for  their  swords.  Bold  Hagen's 
strength  was  mickle  and  great,  but  Iring  smote  him, 
that  the  whole  hall  rang.  Palace  and  towers  resounded 
from  their  blows,  but  the  knight  could  not  achieve  his 
wish. 

Iring  now  left  Hagen  stand  unharmed,  and  hied 
him  to  the  fiddler.  He  weened  to  fell  him  by  his  mighty 
blows,  but  the  stately  knight  wist  how  to  guard  him 
well.  Then  the  fiddler  struck  a  blow,  that  the  plates 
of  mail  whirled  high  above  the  buckler's  rim.  An  evil 
man  he  was,  for  to  encounter,  so  Iring  let  him  stand 
and  rushed  at  Gunther  of  the  Burgundian  land.  Here, 
too,  either  was  strong  enow  in  strife.  The  blows  that 
Gunther  and  Iring  dealt  each  other  drew  no  blood 


276  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

from  wounds.  This  the  harness  hindered,  the  which 
was  both  strong  and  good. 

He  now  let  Gunther  be,  and  ran  at  Gemot,  and  gan 
hew  sparks  of  fire  from  his  armor  rings.  Then  had 
stalwart  Gemot  of  Burgundy  nigh  done  brave  Iring 
unto  death,  but  that  he  sprang  away  from  the  prince 
(nimble  enow  he  was),  and  slew  eftsoon  four  noble 
henchmen  of  the  Burgundians  from  Worms  across  the 
Rhine.  At  this  Giselher  might  never  have  waxed  more 
wroth.  "  God  wot,  Sir  Iring,"  spake  Giselher,  the 
vouth,  "  ye  must  pay  me  weregild  l  for  those  who  have 
fallen  dead  this  hour  before  you." 

Then  at  him  he  rushed  and  smote  the  Dane,  so  that 
he  could  not  stir  a  step,  but  sank  before  his  hands 
down  in  the  blood,  so  that  all  did  ween  the  good  knight 
would  never  deal  a  blow  again  in  strife.  'But  Iring  lay 
unwounded  here  before  Sir  Giselher.  From  the  crashing 
of  the  helmet  and  the  ringing  of  the  sword,  his  wits 
had  grown  so  weak  that  the  brave  knight  no  longer 
thought  of  life.  Stalwart  Giselher  had  done  this  with 
his  might.  When  now  the  ringing  gan  leave  his  head, 
the  which  he  had  suffered  from  the  mighty  stroke,  he 
thought :  "  I  am  still  alive  and  nowhere  wounded.  Now 
first  wot  I  of  Giselher's  mighty  strength."  On  either 
side  he  heard  his  foes.  Wist  they  the  tale,  still  more 
had  happed  him.  Giselher,  too,  he  marked  hard  by  ; 
he  bethought  him,  how  he  might  escape  his  foes.  How 
madly  he  sprang  up  from  the  blood  !  Well  might  he 
thank  his  nimbleness  for  this.  Out  of  the  house  he  ran 
to  where  he  again  found  Hagen,  whom  he  dealt  a  furi- 
ous blow  with  his  powerful  hand. 

Hagen  thought  him  :  "  Thou  art  doomed.  Unless  be 


HOW  IRING  WAS   SLAIN  277 

that  the  foul  fiend  j)rotect  thee,  thou  canst  not  escape 
alive." 

Yet  Iring  wounded  Hagen  through  his  crest.  This 
the  hero  wrought  with  Waska,1  a  passing  goodly  sword. 
When  Sir  Hagen  felt  the  wound,  wildly  he  brandished 
his  weapon  in  his  hand.  Soon  Hawart's  liegeman  was 
forced  to  yield  his  ground,  and  Hagen  gan  pursue  him 
down  the  stairs.  Brave  Iring  swung  his  shield  above 
his  head,  but  had  the  staircase  been  the  length  of 
three,  Hagen  would  not  have  let  him  strike  a  blow 
the  while.  Ho,  what  red  sparks  did  play  above  his 
helmet ! 

Iring  returned  scatheless  to  his  liegemen.  Then  the 
tidings  were  brought  to  Kriemhild,  of  that  which  he  had 
wrought  in  strife  with  Hagen  of  Troneg.  For  this  the 
queen  gan  thank  him  highly.  "  Now  God  requite  thee, 
Iring,  thou  peerless  hero  and  good.  Thou  hast  com- 
forted well  my  heart  and  mind.  I  see  that  Hagen's 
weeds  be  wet  with  blood."  For  very  joy  Kriemhild 
herself  relieved  him  of  his  shield. 

"  Be  not  too  lavish  of  your  thanks,"  spake  Hagen. 
"  'T  would  well  befit  a  knight  to  try  again.  A  valiant 
man  were  he,  if  he  then  came  back  alive.  Little  shall 
the  wound  profit  you,  which  I  have  at  his  hands ;  for 
that  ye  have  seen  the  rings  wet  with  blood  from  my 
wound  doth  urge  me  to  the  death  of  many  a  man.  Now 
first  am  I  enraged  at  Hawart's  liegeman.  Small  scathe 
hath  Knight  Iring  done  me  yet." 

Meanwhile  Iring  of  Denmark  stood  in  the  breeze ; 
he  cooled  his  harness  and  doffed  his  casque.  All  the 
folk  then  praised  his  prowess,  at  which  the  margrave 
was  in  passing  lofty  mood.  Again  Sir  Iring  spake : 


278  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  My  friends,  this  know ;  arm  me  now  quickly,  for  I 
would  fain  try  again,  if  perchance  I  may  not  conquer 
this  overweening  man." 

His  shield  was  hewn  to  pieces,  a  better  one  he 
gained ;  full  soon  the  champion  was  armed  again. 
Through  hate  he  seized  a  passing  heavy  spear  with 
which  he  would  encounter  Hagen  yonder.  Meantime 
the  death-grim  man  awaited  him  in  hostile  wise.  But 
Knight  Hagen  would  not  abide  his  coming.  Hurling 
the  javelin  and  brandishing  his  sword,  he  ran  to  meet 
him  to  the  very  bottom  of  the  stairs.  Forsooth  his  rage 
was  great.  Little  booted  Iring  then  his  strength ; 
through  the  shields  they  smote,  so  that  the  flames  rose 
high  in  fiery  blasts.  Hagen  sorely  wounded  Hawart's 
liegeman  with  his  sword  through  shield  and  breast- 
plate. Never  waxed  he  well  again.  When  now  Knight 
Iring  felt  the  wound,  higher  above  his  helmet  bands 
he  raised  his  shield.  Great  enow  he  thought  the  scathe 
he  here  received,  but  thereafter  King  Gunther's  liege- 
man did  him  more  of  harm.  Hagen  found  a  spear  ly- 
ing now  before  his  feet.  With  this  he  shot  Iring,  the 
Danish  hero,  so  that  the  shaft  stood  forth  from  his 
head.  Champion  Hagen  had  given  him  a  bitter  end. 
Irins:  must  needs  retreat  to  those  of  Denmark.  Or  ever 
they  unbound  his  helmet  and  drew  the  spear-shaft  from 
his  head,  death  had  already  drawn  nigh  him.  At  this 
his  kinsmen  wept,  as  forsooth  they  had  great  need. 

Then  the  queen  came  and  bent  above  him.  She  gan 
bewail  the  stalwart  Iring  and  bewept  his  wounds,  in- 
deed her  grief  was  passing  sharp.  At  this  the  bold  and 
lusty  warrior  spake  before  his  kinsmen  :  "  Let  be  this 
wail,  most  royal  queen.  What  availeth  your  weeping 


HOW  IRING  WAS   SLAIN  279 

now  ?  Certes,  I  must  lose  my  life  from  these  wounds 

I  have  received.  Death  will  no  longer  let  me  serve  you 
and  Etzel."  To  the  men  of  Thuringia  and  to  those  of 
Denmark  he  spake :  "  None  of  you  must  take  from  the 
queen  her  shining  ruddy  gold  as  meed,  for  if  ye  en- 
counter Hagen,  ye  must  gaze  on  death." 

Pale  grew  his  hue ;  brave  Iring  bare  the  mark  of 
death.  Dole  enow  it  gave  them,  for  no  longer  might 
Hawart's  liegeman  live.  Then  the  men  of  Denmark 
must  needs  renew  the  fray.  Irnfried  and  Hawart  with 
well  a  thousand  champions  leaped  toward  the  hall.  On 
every  side  one  heard  a  monstrous  uproar,  mighty  and 
strong.  Ho,  what  sturdy  javelins  were  cast  at  the  Bur- 
gundiau  men !  Bold  Irnfried  rushed  at  the  minstrel,  but 
gained  great  damage  at  his  hands.  Through  his  sturdy 
helmet  the  noble  fiddler  smote  the  landgrave.  Certes, 
he  was  grim  enow  !  Then  Sir  Irnfried  dealt  the  valiant 
gleeman  such  a  blow  that  his  coat  of  mail  burst  open  and 
his  breastplate  was  enveloped  with  a  bright  red  flame. 
Yet  the  landgrave  fell  dead  at  the  minstrel's  hands. 

II  a  wart  and  Hagen,  too,  had  come  together.  Wonders 
would  he  have  seen,  who  beheld  the  fight.  The  swords 
fell  thick  and  fast  in  the  heroes'  hands.  Through  the 
knight  from  the  Burgundian  kind  Hawart  needs  must 
die.  When  the  Thuringians  and  the  Danes  espied  their 
lordings  (had,  there  rose  before  the  hall  a  fearful  strife, 
before  they  gained  the  door  with  mighty  hand.  Many 
a  helm  and  shield  was  hacked  and  cut  thereby. 

"Give  way,"  spake  Folker,  "and  let  them  in,  for 
else  what  they  have  in  mind  will  not  be  ended.  They 
must  die  in  here  in  full  short  time.  With  death  they  '11 
gain  what  the  queen  would  give  them." 


280  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

When  these  overweening  men  were  come  into  the 
hall,  the  head  of  many  a  one  sank  down  so  low  that  he 
needs  must  die  from  their  furious  strokes.  Well  fought 
the  valiant  Gemot,  and  the  same  did  Giselher,  the 
knight.  A  thousand  and  four  were  come  into  the  hall 
and  many  a  whizzing  stroke  of  the  swords  was  seen 
flash  forth,  but  soon  all  the  warriors  lay  slain  therein. 
Mickle  wonders  might  one  tell  of  the  Burgundian  men. 
The  hall  grew  still,  as  the  uproar  died  away.  On  every 
side  the  dead  men's  blood  poured  through  the  open- 
ings down  to  the  drain -pipes.  This  the  men  from  the 
Rhine  had  wrought  with  their  passing  strength. 

Those  from  the  Burgundian  land  now  sate  them 
down  to  rest  and  laid  aside  their  swords  and  shields. 
But  still  the  valiant  minstrel  stood  guard  before  the 
hall.  He  waited,  if  any  would  perchance  draw  near 
again  in  strife.  Sorely  the  king  made  wail,  as  did  the 
queen.  Maids  and  ladies  were  distraught  with  grief. 
Death,  I  ween,  had  conspired  against  them,  wherefore 
many  of  the  warriors  perished  through  the  guests. 


I 


ADVENTURE   XXXVI 

HOW  THE  QUEEN  GAVE  ORDERS  TO  BURN  THE  HALL 

"  Now  unbind  your  helmets,'"  spake  the  good  Knight 
Hagen.  "  I  and  my  comrade  will  guard  you  well,  and 
should  Etzel's  men  be  minded  to  try  again,  I  '11  warn 
my  lords  as  soon  as  I  ever  can." 

Then  many  a  good  knight  bared  his  head.  They  sate 
them  down  upon  the  wounded,  who  had  fallen  in  the 
blood,  done  to  death  at  their  hands.  Evil  looks  were 
cast  upon  the  noble  strangers.  Before  the  eventide  the 
king  and  the  queen  brought  it  to  pass  that  the  Hunnish 
champions  tried  again.  Men  saw  full  twenty  thousand 
warriors  stand  before  them,  who  must  perforce  march 
to  the  fray.  Straightway  there  rose  a  mighty  storming 
towards  the  strangers.  Dankwart,  Hagen's  brother,  the 
doughty  knight,  sprang  from  his  lordings'  side  to  meet 
the  foes  without  the  door.  All  weened  that  he  were 
dead,  yet  forth  he  stood  again  unscathed.  The  furious 
strife  did  last  till  nightfall  brought  it  to  a  close.  As 
befitted  good  knights,  the  strangers  warded  off  King 
Etzel's  liegemen  the  livelong  summer  day.  Ho,  how 
many  a  bold  knight  fell  doomed  before  them  !  This 
great  slaughter  happed  upon  midsummer's  day,  when 
Lady  Kriemhild  avenged  her  sorrow  of  heart  upon  her 
nearest  kin  and  upon  many  another  man,  so  that  King 
Etzel  never  again  gained  joy. 

The  day  had  passed  away,  but  still  they  had  good 
cause  for  fear.  They  thought,  a  short  and  speedy  death 


282  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

were  better  for  them,  than  to  be  longer  racked  with 
monstrous  pain.  A  truce  these  proud  and  lusty  knights 
now  craved  ;  they  begged  that  men  would  bring  the 
king  to  see  them.  Forth  from  the  hall  stepped  the 
heroes,  bloody  of  hue,  and  the  three  noble  kings,  stained 
from  their  armor.  They  wist  not  to  whom  they  should 
make  plaint  of  their  mighty  wounds.  Thither  both 
Etzel  and  Kriemhild  went ;  the  land  was  theirs  and  so 
their  band  waxed  large.  He  spake  to  the  strangers : 
"  Pray  tell  me,  what  ye  will  of  me  ?  Ye  ween  to  gain 
here  peace,  but  that  may  hardly  be.  For  damage  as 
great  as  ye  have  done  me,  in  my  son  and  in  my  many 
kinsmen,  whom  ye  have  slain,  peace  and  pardon  shall 
be  denied  you  quite  ;  it  shall  not  boot  you  aught,  an' 
I  remain  alive." 

To  this  King  Gunther  answered :  "  Dire  need  con- 
strained us ;  all  my  men-at-arms  lay  dead  before  thy 
heroes  in  the  hostel.  How  did  I  deserve  such  pay  ? 
I  came  to  thee  in  trust,  I  weened  thou  wast  my  friend." 

Young  Giselher  of  Burgundy  likewise  spake  :  "  Ye 
men  of  Etzel,  who  still  do  live,  what  do  ye  blame  me 
with  ?  What  have  I  done  to  you,  for  I  rode  in  friendly 
wise  into  this  land  of  yours." 

Quoth  they  :  "  From  thy  friendliness  this  castle  is 
filled  with  grief  and  the  land  as  well.  We  should  not 
have  taken  it  ill,  in  sooth,  if  thou  hadst  never  come  from 
Worms  beyond  the  Rhine.  Thou  and  thy  brothers  have 
filled  this  land  with  orphans." 

Then  spake  Knight  Giselher  in  angry  mood:  "And 
ye  will  lay  aside  this  bitter  hate  and  make  your  peace 
with  us  stranger  knights,  't  were  best  for  either  side. 
We  have  not  merited  at  all  what  Etzel  here  doth  do  us." 


THE  QUEEN  GIVES  ORDERS  TO  BURN  THE  HALL  283 

Then  spake  the  host  to  his  guests  :  "  Unlike  are  my 
wrongs  and  yours.  The  niiekle  grievance  from  the  loss 
and  then  the  shame,  which  I  have  taken  here,  are  such 
that  none  of  you  shall  e'er  go  hence  alive." 

At  this  mighty  Gemot  spake  to  the  king  :  "  May 
God  then  bid  you  act  in  merciful  wise.  Slay,  if  ye  will, 
us  homeless  knights,  but  let  us  first  descend  to  you  into 
the  open  court.  That  will  make  to  you  for  honor.  Let 
be  done  quickly  whatever  shall  hap  to  us.  Ye  have 
still  many  men  unscathed,  who  dare  well' encounter  us 
and  bereave  us  storm-weary  men  of  life.  How  long  must 
we  warriors  undergo  these  toils  ?  " 

King  Etzel's  champions  had  nigh  granted  this  boon 
and  let  them  leave  the  hall,  but  Kriemhild  heard  it 
and  sorely  it  misliked  her.  Therefore  the  wanderers 
were  speedily  denied  the  truce.  "  Not  so,  ye  Hunnish 
men.  I  counsel  you  in  true  fealty,  that  ye  do  not  what 
ye  have  in  mind,  and  let  these  murderers  leave  the 
hall,  else  must  your  kinsmen  suffer  a  deadly  fall.  Did 
none  of  them  still  live,  save  Uta's  sons,  my  noble 
brothers,  and  they  came  forth  into  the  breeze  and 
cooled  their  armor  rings,  ye  would  all  be  lost.  Bolder 
heroes  were  never  born  into  the  world." 

Then  spake  young  Giselher  :  "  Fair  sister  mine,  full 
evil  was  my  trust,  when  thou  didst  invite  me  from 
across  the  Rhine  hither  to  this  land,  to  this  dire  need. 
How  have  I  merited  death  here  from  the  Huns?  I  was 
aye  true  to  thee ;  never  did  I  do  thee  wrong,  and  in  the 
hope  that  thou  wast  still  my  friend,  dear  sister  mine, 
rode  I  hither  to  thy  court.  It  cannot  be  but  that  thou 
grant  us  mercy." 

"  I  will  not  grant  you  mercy,  merciless  is  my  mood. 


284  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

Hagen  of  Troneg  hath  done  me  such  great  wrongs  that 
it  may  never  be  amended,  the  while  I  live.  Ye  must 
all  suffer  for  this  deed,"  so  spake  King  Etzel's  wife. 
"  And  ye  will  give  me  Hagen  alone  as  hostage,  I  will 
not  deny  that  I  will  let  you  live,  for  ye  be  my  brothers 
and  children  of  one  mother,  and  will  counsel  peace 
with  these  heroes  that  be  here." 

"  Now  God  in  heaven  forbid,"  spake  Gemot ;  "  were 
there  here  a  thousand  of  us,  the  clansmen  of  thy  kin, 
we  'd  rather  all  lie  dead,  than  give  thee  a  single  man  as 
hostage.  Never  shall  this  be  done." 

"  We  all  must  die,"  spake  then  Giselher,  "  but  none 
shall  hinder  that  we  guard  us  in  knightly  wise.  We 
be  still  here,  if  any  list  to  fight  us  ;  for  never  have  I 
failed  a  friend  in  fealty." 

Then  spake  bold  Dankwart  (it  had  not  beseemed 
him  to  have  held  his  peace)  :  "  Forsooth  my  brother 
Hagen  standeth  not  alone.  It  may  yet  rue  those  who 
here  refuse  the  truce.  I  '11  tell  you  of  a  truth,  we  '11 
make  you  ware  of  this." 

Then  spake  the  queen  :  "  Ye  full  lusty  heroes,  now 
go  nigher  to  the  stairs  and  avenge  my  wrongs.  For 
this  I  will  ever  serve  you,  as  1  should  by  right.  I  '11 
pay  Hagen  well  for  his  overweening  pride.  Let  none 
at  all  escape  from  the  house,  and  I  will  bid  the  hall  be 
set  on  fire  at  all  four  ends.  Thus  all  my  wrongs  shall 
be  well  avenged." 

Soon  were  King  Etzel's  champions  ready.  They 
drove  those  that  still  stood  without  into  the  hall  with 
blows  and  shots.  Mickle  waxed  the  din,  yet  the  lord- 
ings  and  their  liegemen  would  not  part.  For  very 
fealty  they  could  not  leave  each  other.  Etzel's  queen 


THE  QUEEN  GIVES  ORDERS  TO  BURN  THE  HALL  285 

then  bade  the  hall  be  set  on  fire,  and  thus  they  racked 
the  bodies  of  the  knights  with  fire  and  flame.  Fanned 
by  the  breeze,  the  whole  house  burst  into  flames  full 
soon.  I  ween,  no  folk  did  ever  gain  such  great  dis- 
tress. Enow  within  cried  out:  "  Alack  this  plight!  We 
would  much  rather  die  in  stress  of  battle.  It  might 
move  God  to  pity,  how  we  all  are  lost !  The  queen  now 
wreaketh  monstrously  on  us  her  wrath." 

Quoth  one  of  them  within  :  "  We  must  all  lie  dead. 
What  avail  us  now  the  greetings  which  the  king  did 
send  us?  Thirst  from  this  great  heat  giveth  me  such 
dole,  that  soon,  I  ween,  my  life  must  ebb  away  in 
anguish." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  Ye  noble  knights 
and  good,  let  him  whom  pangs  of  thirst  constrain, 
drink  here  this  blood.  In  such  great  heat,  'tis  better 
still  than  wine.  We  can  purvey  us  at  this  time  none 
better." 

One  of  the  warriors  hied  him  then  to  where  he  found 
a  corpse,  and  knelt  him  down  beside  the  wound ;  then 
he  unbound  his  helmet  and  began  to  drink  the  flow- 
ing blood.  However  little  wont  to  such  a  drink,  him- 
thought  it  passing  good.  "  Sir  Hagen,  now  God  re- 
quite you,"  spake  the  weary  man,  "  that  I  have  drunk 
so  well  at  your  advice  ;  seldom  hath  better  wine  been 
proffered  me.  And  I  live  yet  a  while,  I  shall  ever  be 
your  friend." 

When  now  the  others  heard  this,  it  thought  them 
good,  and  soon  there  were  many  more  that  drank  the 
blood.  From  this  the  body  of  each  gained  much  of 
strength;  but  many  a  stately  dame  paid  dear  for  this 
through  the  loss  of  loving  kin.   Into  the  hall  the  fire 


286  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

fell  thick  and  fast  upon  them,  but  with  their  shields  they 
turned  it  from  them  to  the  ground.  Both  the  heat  and 
the  smoke  did  hurt  them  sore ;  in  sooth,  I  ween,  that 
nevermore  will  such  anguish  hap  to  heroes. 

Again  Hagen  of  Troneg  spake  :  "  Stand  by  the  sides 
of  the  hall.  Let  not  the  firebrands  fall  upon  your  hel- 
met bands,  but  stamp  them  with  your  feet  down  deeper 
in  the  blood.  Forsooth  it  is  an  evil  feast  which  the 
queen  doth  give  us  here." 

In  such  dire  woes  the  night  did  wear  away  at  last,  and 
still  the  brave  minstrel  and  his  comrade  Hagen  stood 
before  the  hall,  a-leaning  on  their  shields.  More  scathe 
they  awaited  from  those  of  Etzel's  band.  Then  spake 
the  fiddler :  "  Now  go  we  into  the  hall.  Then  the  Huns 
will  ween,  that  we  all  be  dead  from  the  torture  that 
hath  been  done  us  here.  They  '11  yet  see  us  go  to  meet 
them  in  the  strife." 

Now  spake  Giselher  of  Burgundy,  the  youth  :  "  I 
trow  the  day  dawneth,  a  cooling  wind  doth  blow.  May 
God  in  heaven  let  us  live  to  see  a  liefer  time,  for  my 
sister  Kriemhild  hath  given  us  here  an  evil  feast." 

Again  one  spake :  "  I  see  the  day.  Sith  we  cannot 
hope  for  better  things,  so  arm  you,  heroes,  think  on 
your  life.  Certes,  King  Etzel's  wife  will  come  to  meet 
us  soon  again." 

The  host  weened  well,  that  his  guests  were  dead  from 
their  toil  and  the  pangs  of  fire  ;  but  yet  within  the  hall 
six  hundred  brave  men,  as  good  as  any  knight  that  king 
ever  gained,  were  still  alive.  Those  set  to  guard  the 
strangers  had  well  seen  that  the  guests  still  lived, 
despite  the  damage  and  the  dole  that  had  been  done 
both  to  the  lordings  and  their  men.   In  the  hall  one  saw 


THE  QUEEN  GIVES  ORDERS  TO  BURN  THE  HALL  287 

them  stand  full  safe  and  sound.  They  then  told  Kriem- 
hild  that  many  were  still  alive,  but  the  queen  replied  : 
"  It  could  never  be,  that  any  should  have  lived  through 
such  stress  of  fire.  Kather  will  I  believe  that  all  lie 
dead." 

The  lordiusrs  and  their  men  would  still  fain  have 
lived,  had  any  listed  to  do  them  mercy,  but  they  could 
find  none  amon2:  those. of  the  Hunnish  land.   So  with 

o 

full  willing  hand  they  avenged  their  dying.  On  this 
same  day,  towards  morning,  men  proffered  them  a  fierce 
attack  as  greeting,  which  brought  the  champions  in 
stress  again.  Many  a  stout  spear  was  hurled  upon  them, 
but  the  bold  and  lordly  warriors  warded  them  in 
knightly  wise.  High  rose  the  mood  of  Etzel's  men  at 
the  thought  that  they  should  earn  Queen  Kriemhild's 
gold.  Thereto  they  were  minded  to  perform  whatso  the 
king  did  bid  them.  Many  of  them  because  of  this  must 
soon  needs  gaze  on  death.  Of  pledges  and  of  gifts  one 
might  tell  wonders.  She  bade  the  ruddy  gold  be  carried 
forth  on  shields  and  gave  it  to  whomsoever  craved  it 
and  would  take  it.  Certes,  greater  wage  was  nevermore 
civen  against  foes.  To  the  hall  a  mickle  force  of  well- 
armed  warriors  marched. 

Then  cried  bold  Folker  :  "  We  're  here  again,  ye  see. 
Never  saw  I  heroes  more  gladly  come  to  fight  than  these 
that  have  taken  the  king's  gold  to  do  us  scathe." 

Then  enow  did  call :  "  Nearer,  heroes,  nearer,  that 
we  may  do  betimes  what  we  must  bring  to  an  end. 
Here  dieth  none  that  is  not  doomed  to  die." 

Soon  their  shields  were  seen  sticking  full  of  darts 
that  had  been  thrown.  What  more  can  I  say?  Full 
twelve  hundred  men  tried  hard  to  match  them,  surging 


288  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

back  and  forth.  The  strangers  cooled  well  their  mood 
with  wounds.  None  might  part  the  strife,  and  so  blood 
was  seen  to  flow  from  mortal  wounds,  many  of  which 
were  dealt.  Each  one  was  heard  to  wail  for  friends.  All 
the  great  king's  doughty  warriors  died,  and  loving 
kinsmen  mourned  them  passing  sore. 


ADVENTURE  XXXVII 

HOW    MARGRAVE    RUDEGER    WAS    SLAIN 

The  strangers  had  done  full  well  at  dawn.  Meanwhile 
Gotelind's  husband  came  to  court.  Bitterly  faithful 
Riideger  wept  when  he  saw  the  grievous  wounds  on 
either  side.  "  Woe  is  me,"  quoth  the  champion,  "  that 
I  was  ever  born,  sith  none  may  stay  this  mickle  grief ! 
However  fain  I  would  make  for  peace,  the  king  will 
not  consent,  for  he  seeth  ever  more  and  more  the  suf- 
ferings of  his  men." 

Then  the  good  Knight  Riideger  sent  to  Dietrich,  if 
perchance  they  might  turn  the  fate  of  the  high-born 
kings.  The  king  of  Berne  sent  answer :  "  Who 
might  now  forfend?  King  Etzel  will  let  none  part 
the  strife." 

Then  a  Hunnish  warrior,  that  saw  Riideger  stand 
with  weeping  eyes,  and  many  tears  had  he  shed,  spake 
to  the  queen:  "Now  behold  how  he  doth  stand,  that 
hath  the  greatest  power  at  Etzel's  court  and  whom  both 
lands  and  people  serve.  Why  have  so  many  castles  been 
given  to  Riideger,  of  which  he  doth  hold  such  store 
from  the  king  in  fief?  Not  one  sturdy  stroke  hath  he 
dealt  in  all  this  strife.  Methinks,  he  recketh  not  how 
it  fare  here  at  court,  sith  he  hath  his  will  in  full.  Men 
say  of  him,  he  be  bolder  than  any  other  wight.  Little 
hath  that  been  seen  in  these  parlous  1  days." 

Sad  in  heart  the  faithful  vassal  gazed  at  him  whom 
he  heard  thus  speak.  Him-thought :  "  Thou  shalt  pay 


290  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

for  this.  Thou  sayest,  I  be  a  craven,  and  hast  told  thy 
tale  too  loud  at  court." 

His  fist  he  clenched,  then  ran  he  at  him  and  smote 
the  Hunnish  man  so  mightily  that  he  lay  dead  at  his 
feet  full  soon.  Through  this  King  Etzel's  woe  grew 
greater. 

"Away,  thou  arrant  coward,"  cried  Riideger,  "for- 
sooth I  have  enow  of  grief  and  pain.  How  dost  thou 
taunt  me,  that  I  fight  not  here  ?  Certes,  I  have  good 
cause  to  hate  the  strangers,  and  would  have  done  all 
in  my  power  against  them,  had  I  not  led  the  warriors 
hither.  Of  a  truth  I  was  their  safeguard  to  my  master's 
land.  Therefore  the  hand  of  me,  wretched  man,  may 
not  strive  against  them." 

Then  spake  Etzel,  the  noble  king,  to  the  margrave: 
"  How  have  ye  helped  us,  most  noble  Riideger !  We 
have  so  many  fey  l  in  the  land,  that  we  have  no  need 
of  more.  Full  evil  have  ye  done." 

At  this  the  noble  knight  made  answer :  "  Forsooth 
he  grieved  my  mood  and  twitted  me  with  the  honors 
and  the  goods,  such  store  of  which  I  have  received 
from  thy  hand.  This  hath  cost  the  liar  dear." 

The  queen,  too,  was  come  and  had  seen  what  for- 
tuned to  the  Huns  through  the  hero's  wrath.  Passing 
sore  she  bewailed  it ;  her  eyes  grew  moist  as  she  spake 
to  Iiiideger :  "  How  have  we  deserved  that  ye  should 
increase  the  sorrows  of  the  king  and  me  ?  Hitherto  ye 
have  told  us,  that  for  our  sake  ye  would  risk  both  life 
and  honor.  I  heard  full  many  warriors  accord  to  you 
the  palm.  Let  me  mind  you  of  your  fealty  and  that  ye 
swore,  when  that  ye  counseled  me  to  Etzel,  good  knight 
and  true,  that  ye  woidd  serve  me  till  one  of  us  should 


HOW  MARGRAVE   RUDEGER  WAS   SLAIN     291 

die.  Never  have  I,  poor  woman,  had  such  great  need 
of  this." 

"  There  's  no  denying  that  I  swore  to  you,  my  lady, 
for  your  sake  I  'd  risk  both  life  and  honor,  but  I  did 
not  swear  that  I  would  lose  my  soul.  'T  was  I  that 
bade  the  high-born  lordings  to  this  feast." 

Quoth  she :  "  Bethink  thee,  Rudeger,  of  thy  great 
fealty,  of  thy  constancy,  and  of  thine  oaths,  that  thou 
wouldst  ever  avenge  mine  injuries  and  all  my  woes." 

Said  the  margrave :  "  Seldom  have  I  denied  you 
aught." 

Mighty  Etzel,  too,  began  implore  ;  upon  their  knees 
they  sank  before  the  knight.  Men  saw  the  noble  mar- 
grave stand  full  sad.  Pitifully  the  faithful  warrior 
spake :  "  Woe  is  me,  most  wretched  man,  that  I  have 
lived  to  see  this  day.  1  must  give  over  all  my  honors, 
my  fealty,  and  my  courtesie,  that  God  did  bid  me  use. 
Alas,  great  God  of  heaven,  that  death  will  not  turn 
this  from  me !  I  shall  act  basely  and  full  evil,  whatever 
I  do  or  leave  undone.  But  if  I  give  over  both,  then 
will  all  people  blame  me.  Now  may  he  advise  me,  who 
hath  given  me  life." 

Still  the  king  and  the  queen,  too,  begged  unceas- 
ing] v.  Through  this  warriors  must  needs  thereafter 
lose  their  lives  at  Rudeger' 8  hands,  when  the  hero  also 
died.  Ye  may  well  hear  it  now,  that  he  deported  him 
full  pitifully.  He  wist  that  it  would  bring  him  scatho 
and  monstrous  woe.  Gladly  would  he  have  refused  the 
king  and  queen.  He  feared  full  sore  that  if  he  slew  but 
one  of  the  strangers,  the  world  would  bear  him  hate. 

Then  the  brave  man  addressed  him  to  the  king : 
"  Sir  King,  take  back  again  all  that  I  have  from  you, 


292  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

my  land  with  its  castles,  let  not  a  whit  remain  to  me. 
On  foot  will  I  wander  into  other  lands." 

At  this  King  Etzel  spake  :  "  Who  else  should  help 
me  then  ?  I  '11  give  thee  the  land  and  all  its  castles,  as 
thine  own,  that  thou  mayst  avenge  me  on  my  foes. 
Thou  shalt  be  a  mighty  king  at  Etzel's  side." 

Then  answered  Riideger :  "  How  shall  I  do  this 
deed  ?  I  bade  them  to  my  house  and  home  ;  in  friendly 
wise  I  offered  them  both  food  and  drink  and  gave  them 
gifts.  How  may  I  counsel  their  death?  People  will 
lightly  ween,  that  I  be  craven.  No  service  of  mine  have 
I  refused  these  noble  lordings  and  their  men.  Now  I 
rue  the  kinship  I  have  gained  with  them.  I  gave 
my  daughter  to  Giselher,  the  knight ;  to  none  in 
all  the  world  could  she  have  been  better  given,  for 
courtesie  and  honor,  for  fealty  and  wealth.  Never 
have  I  seen  so  young  a  prince  of  such  right  courteous 
mind." 

Then  Kriemhild  spake  again:  "Most  noble  Riide- 
ger, take  pity  on  our  griefs,  on  mine  and  on  the  king's. 
Bethink  thee  well,  that  king  did  never  gain  such  bane- 
ful guests." 

To  the  noble  dame  the  margrave  spake :  "  Rudeger's 
life  must  pay  to-day  for  whatsoever  favors  ye  and  my 
lord  have  shown  me.  Therefore  must  I  die  ;  no  longer 
may  it  be  deferred.  I  know  full  well,  that  my  castles 
and  my  lands  will  be  voided  for  you  to-day  through  the 
hand  of  one  of  these  men.  To  your  mercy  I  commend 
my  wife  and  children  and  the  strangers  x  who  be  at 
Bechelaren." 

"  Now  God  requite  thee,  Riideger,"  spake  the  king, 
and  both  he  and  the  queen  grew  glad.  "  Thy  people 


HOW  MARGRAVE   RUDEGER  WAS   SLAIN     293 

shall  be  well  commended  to  our  care.  For  mine  own  weal 
I  trust  thou  too  shalt  go  unscathed." 

Etzel's  bride  began  to  weep.  Then  body  and  soul 
he  staked  upon  the  venture.  He  spake  :  "  I  must  per- 
form what  I  have  vowed.  Alas  for  my  friends,  whom 
I  am  loth  to  fight." 

Men  saw  him  go  sadly  from  the  presence  of  the 
king.  Close  at  hand  he  found  his  warriors  standing. 
He  spake :  "  Ye  must  arm  you  all,  my  men,  for,  alas, 
I  must  needs  encounter  the  bold  Burgundians." 

They  bade  the  squires  run  nimbly  to  where  lay  their 
arms.  Whether  it  were  helm  or  buckler,  't  was  all 
brought  forth  to  them  by  their  meiny.  Later  the  proud 
strangers  heard  told  baleful  tales.  Rudeger  was  now 
armed,  and  with  him  five  hundred  men  ;  thereto  he 
gained  twelve  champions,  who  would  fain  win  renown 
in  the  stress  of  battle.  They  wist  not  that  death  drew 
nigh  them.  Then  Rudeger  was  seen  to  march  with 
helmet  donned.  The  margrave's  men  bare  keen-edged 
swords,  and  their  bright  shields  and  broad  upon  their 
arms.  This  the  fiddler  saw  ;  greatly  he  rued  the  sight. 
When  young  Giselher  beheld  his  lady's  father  walk 
with  his  holm  upon  his  head,  how  might  he  know  what 
he  meant  thereby,  save  that  it  portended  good  ?  There- 
fore the  noble  prince  waxed  passing  merry  of  mood. 

"  Now  well  is  me  of  such  kinsmen,"  spake  Knight 
G  iselher,  "  whom  we  have  won  upon  this  journey  ;  from 
my  wife  we  shall  reap  much  profit  here.  Lief  it  is  to 
me,  that  this  betrothal  hath  taken  place." 

"  I  know  not  whence  ye  take  your  comfort,"  spake 
then  the  minstrel ;  "  when  have  ye  seen  so  many  heroes 
walk  with  helmets  donned  and  swords  in  hand,  for  the 


294  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

sake  of  peace  ?  Rudeger  doth  think  to  win  his  castles 
and  his  lands  in  fight  with  us." 

Or  ever  the  fiddler  had  ended  his  speech,  men  saw 
the  noble  Rudeger  before  the  house.  At  his  feet  he 
placed  his  trusty  shield,  and  now  both  service  and 
greeting  he  must  needs  refuse  his  friends.  Into  the 
hall  the  noble  margrave  called  :  '  Ye  doughty  Nibe- 
lungs,  now  guard  you  well  on  every  side.  Ye  were 
to  profit  by  me,  now  I  shall  bring  you  scathe.  Afore- 
time we  were  friends,  but  of  this  troth  I  now  would 
fain  be  rid." 

The  hard-pressed  men  were  startled  at  this  tale, 
for  none  gained  aught  of  joy,  that  he  whom  they  did 
love  would  now  fain  fight  them.  From  their  foes  they 
had  already  suffered  mickle  stress  of  war.  "  Now  God 
of  heaven  forbid,"  spake  Gunther,  the  knight,  "  that 
ye  should  give  over  your  love  of  us  and  your  great 
fealty,  on  which  we  counted  of  a  truth.  Better  things 
I  trow  of  you,  than  that  ye  should  ever  do  this  deed." 

"  Alas,  I  cannot  give  it  over,  but  must  fight  you, 
for  I  have  vowed  it.  Now  ward  you,  brave  heroes,  and 
ye  love  your  life.  King  Etzel's  wife  would  not  release 
me  from  mine  oath." 

"  Ye  declare  this  feud  too  late,"  spake  the  high- 
born king.  "  Now  may  God  requite  you,  most  noble 
Rudeger,  for  all  the  love  and  fealty  that  ye  have 
shown  us,  if  ye  would  only  act  more  kindly  at  the 
end.  I  and  my  kinsmen,  we  ought  ever  to  serve  you 
for  the  noble  gifts  ye  gave  us,  when  ye  brought  us 
hither  faithfully  to  Etzel's  land.  Now,  noble  Rudeger, 
think  on  this." 

"  How  gladly  would  I  grant  you,"  spake  Knight  Rii- 


HOW  MARGRAVE   RUDEGER  WAS   SLAIN     295 

deger,  "  that  I  might  weigh  out  my  gifts  for  you  with 
full  measure,  as  willingly  as  I  had  hoped,  if  I  never 
should  be  blamed  on  that  account." 

"Turn  back,  noble  Rudeger,"  spake  then  Gemot, 
"  for  host  did  never  give  his  guests  such  loving  cheer 
as  ye  did  us.  This  shall  profit  you  well,  and  we  remain 
alive." 

"  "Would  to  God,"  spake  Rudeger,  "  most  noble 
Gemot,  that  ye  were  on  the  Rhine  and  I  were  dead 
with  passing  honor,  sith  I  must  now  encounter  you  ! 
Never  did  friends  act  worse  to  heroes." 

"  Now  God  requite  you,  Sir  Rudeger,"  answered 
Gemot,  "  for  your  passing  rich  gifts.  Your  death  doth 
rue  me,  if  such  knightly  virtues  shall  be  lost  with  you. 
Here  I  bear  your  sword  that  ye  gave  me,  good  knight 
and  true.  It  hath  never  failed  me  in  all  this  need. 
Many  a  knight  fell  dead  beneath  its  edges.  It  is 
bright  and  steady,  glorious  and  good  ,  nevermore,  I 
ween,  will  warrior  give  so  rich  a  gift.  And  will  ye  not 
turn  back,  but  come  to  meet  us,  and  slay  aught  of  the 
friends  I  still  have  here,  with  your  own  sword  will  I 
take  your  life.  Then  will  ye  rue  me,  Rudeger,  ye  and 
your  high-born  wife." 

"  Would  to  God,  Sir  Gemot,  that  this  might  come 
to  pass,  that  all  your  will  might  here  be  done,  and 
that  your  kinsmen  escaped  unscathed  !  Then  both  my 
daughter  and  ni}1'  wife  may  trust  you  well,  forsooth." 

Then  of  the  Burgundians  there  spake  fair  Uta's 
son  :  "  Why  do  ye  so,  Sir  Rudeger  ?  Those  that  be 
come  with  us,  do  all  like  you  well.  Ye  encounter  us 
in  evil  wise;  ye  wish  to  make  your  fair  daughter  a 
widow  far  too  soon.   If  ye  and  your  warriors  match  me 


296  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

now  with  strife,  how  right  unkindly  do  ye  let  it  appear, 
that  I  trust  you  well  above  all  other  men  and  there- 
fore won  me  your  daughter  to  wife." 

"  Think  on  your  fealty,  most  noble  and  high-born 
king.  And  God  let  you  escape,"  so  spake  Riideger, 
"  let  the  maiden  suffer  not  for  me.  For  your  own  vir- 
tue's sake,  vouchsafe  her  mercy." 

"  That  I  should  do  by  right,"  spake  the  youthful 
Giselher,  "  but  if  my  noble  kinsmen  here  within  must 
die  through  you,  then  my  steadfast  friendship  for  you 
and  for  your  daughter  must  be  parted." 

"  Now  may  God  have  mercy  on  us,"  answered  the 
valiant  man.  Then  they  raised  their  shields,  as  though 
they  would  hence  to  fight  the  guests  in  Kriemhild's 
hall,  but  Hagen  cried  full  loud  adown  the  steps. 
"  Pray  tarry  awhile,  most  noble  Riideger,"  so  spake 
Hagen  ;  "  I  and  my  lords  would  fain  have  further  par- 
ley, as  doth  befit  our  need.  What  can  the  death  of  us 
wanderers  avail  King  Etzel  ?  I  stand  here  in  a  fearful 
plight ;  the  shield  that  Lady  Gotelind  gave  me  to 
bear  hath  been  cut  to  pieces  by  the  Huns.  I  brought 
it  with  friendly  purpose  into  Etzel's  land.  O  that  God 
in  heaven  would  grant,  that  I  might  bear  so  good  a 
shield  as  that  thou  hast  in  thy  hand,  most  noble 
Riideger!  Then  I  should  no  longer  need  a  hauberk 
in  the  fray." 

"  Gladly  would  I  serve  thee  with  my  shield,  durst  I 
offer  it  before  Kriemhild.  Yet  take  it,  Hagen,  and  bear 
it  on  thine  arm.  Ho,  if  thou  couldst  only  wield  it  in 
the  Burgundian  land !  " 

When  he  so  willingly  offered  to  give  the  shield, 
enow  of  eyes  grew  red  with  scalding  tears.  '  T  was  the 


HOW  MARGRAVE  RUDEGER  WAS  SLAIN      297 

last  gift  that  ever  Riicleger  of  Becbelaren  gave  to  any 
knight.  However  fierce  Hagen,  and  however  stern  of 
mood,  the  gift  did  touch  him,  which  the  good  hero,  so 
near  to  death,  had  given.  Many  a  noble  knight  gan 
mourn  with  him. 

"  Now  God  in  heaven  requite  yon,  most  noble 
Riideger.  Your  like  will  nevermore  be  found,  who 
giveth  homeless  warriors  such  lordly  gifts.  God  grant 
that  your  courtesie  may  ever  live."  Again  Hagen 
spake :  "  Woe  is  me  of  these  tales,  we  had  so  many 
other  griefs  to  bear.  Let  complaint  be  made  to  Heaven, 
if  we  must  fight  with  friends." 

Quoth  the  margrave  :  "  Inly  doth  this  grieve  me." 

"Now  God  requite  you,  for  the  gift,  most  noble 
Riideger.  Howso  these  high-born  warriors  deport  them 
toward  you,  my  hand  shall  never  touch  you  in  the 
fight,  and  ye  slew  them  all  from  the  Burgundian  land." 

Courteously  the  good  Sir  Riideger  bowed  him  low. 
On  every  side  they  wept,  that  none  might  soothe  this 
pain  of  heart.  That  was  a  mighty  grief.  In  Riideger 
would  die  the  father  of  all  knightly  virtues. 

Then  Folker,  the  minstrel,  spake  from  out  the  hall : 
"  Si th  my  comrade  Hagen  hath  made  his  peace  with 
you,  ye  shall  have  it  just  as  steadfastly  from  my  hand, 
for  well  ye  earned  it,  when  we  came  into  this  land. 
Most  noble  margrave,  ye  shall  be  mine  envoy,  too. 
The  margravine  gave  me  these  ruddy  arm  rings,  that 
I  should  wear  them  here  at  the  feasting.  These  ye 
may  yourself  behold,  that  ye  may  later  be  my  wit- 
ness." 

"  Now  God  of  heaven  grant,"  spake  Riideger,  "that 
the  margravine  may  give  you  more  !  I'll  gladly  tell 


298  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

these  tales  to  my  dear  love,  if  I  see  her  in  health  again. 
Of  this  ye  shall  not  doubt." 

When  he  had  vowed  him  this,  Riideger  raised  high 
his  shield.  No  longer  he  bided,  but  with  raging  mood, 
like  a  berserker,  he  rushed  upon  the  guests.  Many  a 
furious  blow  the  noble  margrave  struck.  The  twain, 
Folker  and  Hagen,  stepped  further  back,  as  they  had 
vowed  to  him  afore.  Still  he  found  standing  by  the 
tower  such  valiant  men,  that  Riideger  began  the  fight 
with  anxious  doubts.  With  murderous  intent  Gunther 
and  Gemot  let  him  in  ;  good  heroes  they !  Giselher 
stood  further  back,  which  irked  him  sore,  in  truth. 
He  voided  Riideger,  for  still  he  had  hope  of  life.  Then 
the  margrave's  men  rushed  at  their  foes  ;  in  knightly 
wise  one  saw  them  follow  their  lord.  In  their  hands 
they  bare  their  keen-edged  swords,  the  which  cleft 
there  many  a  helm  and  lordly  shield.  The  tired  war- 
riors dealt  the  men  of  Bechelaren  many  a  mighty  blow, 
that  cut  smooth  and  deep  through  the  shining  mail, 
down  to  the  very  quick. 

Riideger's  noble  fellowship  was  now  come  quite 
within.  Into  the  fight  Folker  and  Hagen  sprang  anon. 
They  gave  no  quarter,  save  to  one  man  alone.  Through 
the  hands  of  the  twain  the  blood  streamed  down  from 
the  helmets.  How  grimly  rang  the  many  swords  within  ! 
The  shield  plates  sprang  from  their  fastenings,  and  the 
precious  stones,  cut  from  the  shields,  fell  down  into 
the  gore.  So  grimly  they  fought,  that  men  will  never 
do  the  like  a^ain.  The  lord  of  Bechelaren  raged  to 
and  fro,  as  one  who  wotteth  how  to  use  great 
prowess  in  the  fray.  Passing  like  to  a  worshipful 
champion  and  a  bold  did  Riideger  bear  him  on  that 


HOW  MARGRAVE   RLDEGER  WAS  SLAIN     299 

day.  Here  stood  the  warriors,  Gunther  and  Gemot, 
and  smote  many  a  hero  dead  in  the  fray.  Giselher  and 
Dankwart,  the  twain,  recked  so  little,  that  they  brought 
full  many  a  knight  to  his  last  day  of  life.  Full  well  did 
Riideger  make  appear  that  he  was  strong  enow,  brave 
and  well-armed.  Ho,  what  knights  he  slew !  This  a 
Burgundian  espied ;  perforce  it  angered  him,  and  thus 
Sir  Riideger's  death  drew  near. 

The  stalwart  Gemot  accosted  the  hero  ;  to  the  mar- 
grave he  spake  :  "  It  appeareth,  ye  will  not  leave  my 
men  alive,  most  noble  Riideger.  That  irketh  me  beyond 
all  measure,  no  longer  can  I  bear  the  sight.  So  may 
your  present  work  you  harm,  sith  ye  have  taken  from 
me  such  store  of  friends.  Pray  address  you  unto  me, 
most  noble  man  and  brave,  your  gift  shall  be  paid  for 
as  best  I  can." 

Or  ever  the  margrave  could  reach  his  foe,  bright 
armor  rings  must  needs  grow  dull  with  blood.  Then 
at  each  other  sprang  these  honor-seeking  men.  Either 
gan  guard  him  against  mighty  wounds.  So  sharp  were 
their  swords,  that  naught  might  avail  against  them. 
Then  Riideger,  the  knight,  smote  Gemot  a  buffet 
through  his  helmet,  the  which  was  as  hard  as  flint,  so 
that  tin;  blood  gushed  forth.  But  this  the  bold  knight 
and  good  repaid  eftsoon.  High  in  his  hand  he  now 
poised  Riideger's  gift,  and  though  wounded  unto  death, 
he  smote  him  a  stroke  through  his  good  and  trusty 
shield  down  to  his  helmet  band.  And  so  fair  Gotelind's 
husband  was  done  to  death.  Certes,  so  rich  a  gift  was 
never  worse  repaid.  So  fell  alike  both  Gemot  and 
Riideger,  slain  in  the  fray,  through  each  other's  hand. 

Then  first  waxed   Ilagen  wroth,  when  he  saw  the 


300  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

monstrous  scathe.  Quoth  the  hero  of  Troneg :  "  Evil 
hath  it  fared  with  us.  In  these  two  men  we  have  taken 
a  loss  so  great  that  neither  their  land  nor  people  will 
e'er  recover  from  the  blow.  Riideger's  champions  must 
answer  to  us  homeless  men." 

"  Alas  for  my  brother,  who  hath  here  been  done  to 
death.  What  evil  tales  I  hear  all  time!  Noble  Riideger, 
too,  must  ever  rue  me.  The  loss  and  the  grievous 
wounds  are  felt  on  either  side." 

When  Lord  Giselher  saw  his  betrothed's  father  dead, 
those  within  the  hall  were  forced  to  suffer  need. 
Fiercely  death  sought  his  fellowship  ;  not  one  of  those 
of  Bechelaren  escaped  with  life.  Gunther  and  Giselher 
and  Hagen,  too,  Dank  wart  and  Folker,  the  right  good 
knights,  went  to  where  they  found  the  two  men  lying. 
Then  by  these  heroes  tears  of  grief  were  shed. 

"  Death  doth  sorely  rob  us,"  spake  Giselher,  the 
youth.  "  Now  give  over  your  weeping  and  go  we  into 
the  breeze,  that  the  mailed  armor  of  us  storm-weary 
men  may  cool.  Certes,  I  ween,  that  God  in  heaven 
vouchsafeth  us  no  more  to  live." 

This  champion  was  seen  to  sit  and  that  to  lean  against 
the  wall,  but  all  again  were  idle.  Riideger's  heroes  lay 
still  in  death.  The  din  had  died  away  ;  the  hush  en- 
dured so  long,  it  vexed  King  Etzel. 

"  Alack  for  such  services,"  spake  the  queen.  "  They 
be  not  so  true,  that  our  foes  must  pay  with  their  life 
at  Riideger's  hands.  I  trow,  he  doth  wish  to  lead  them 
back  to  the  Burgundian  land.  What  booteth  it,  King 
Etzel,  that  we  have  given  him  whatso  he  would  ?  The 
knight  hath  done  amiss,  he  who  should  avenge  us,  doth 
make  his  peace." 


HOW  MARGRAVE   RUDEGER  WAS   SLAIN     301 

To  this  Folker,  the  full  dapper  knight,  made  answer : 
"  This  is  not  true,  alas,  most  noble  queen.  Durst  I  give 
the  lie  to  such  a  high-born  dame,  then  had  ye  most 
foully  lied  against  Riideger.  He  and  his  champions  be 
cozened  in  this  peace.  So  eagerly  he  did  what  the  king 
commanded,  that  he  and  all  his  fellowship  lie  here  in 
death.  Now  look  around  you,  Kriemhild,  to  see  whom 
ye  may  now  command.  The  good  Knight  Riideger  hath 
served  you  to  his  end.  And  ye  will  not  believe  the  tale, 
we  '11  let  you  see." 

To  their  great  grief  't  was  done ;  they  bare  the  slain 
hero  to  where  the  king  might  see  him.  Never  had 
there  happed  to  Etzel's  men  a  grief  so  great.  When 
they  saw  the  margrave  borne  forth  dead,  no  scribe 
might  write  or  tell  the  frantic  grief  of  men  and  women, 
which  there  gan  show  itself  from  dole  of  heart.  King 
Etzel's  sorrow  waxed  so  great  that  the  mighty  king 
did  voice  his  woe  of  heart,  as  with  a  lion's  roar.  Like- 
wise did  his  queen.  Beyond  all  measure  they  bewailed 
the  good  Knight  Riideger's  death. 


ADVENTURE   XXXVIII 

how  all  sir  Dietrich's  warriors  were  slain 

On  every  side  one  heard  a  grief  so  great,  that  the  pal- 
ace and  the  towers  rang  with  the  wailing.  Then  a  liege- 
man of  Dietrich  heard  it,  too.  How  quickly  he  gan 
haste  him  with  the  fearful  tales  !  To  the  lording  he 
spake :  "  Hear,  my  lord,  Sir  Dietrich,  however  much 
I  've  lived  to  see  till  now,  yet  heard  I  never  such  a 
monstrous  wail,  as  now  hath  reached  mine  ears.  I  ween, 
King  Etzel  himself  hath  come  to  grief.  How  else  might 
all  be  so  distressed  ?  One  of  the  twain,  the  king  or 
Kriemhild,  hath  surely  been  laid  low  by  the  brave 
strangers  in  their  wrath.  Full  many  a  dapper  warrior 
weepeth  passing  sore." 

Then  spake  the  Knight  of  Berne  :  "  My  faithful  men, 
now  haste  ye  not  too  fast.  Whatever  the  homeless 
warriors  may  have  done,  they  be  now  in  mickle  need. 
Let  it  profit  them,  that  I  did  offer  them  my  peace." 

At  this  brave  Wolfhart  spake  :  "  I  will  hie  me  hence 
and  ask  for  tidings  of  what  they  have  done,  and  will  tell 
you  then,  my  most  dear  lord,  just  as  I  find  it,  what  the 
wail  may  be." 

Then  spake  Sir  Dietrich :  "  Where  one  awaiteth 
wrath,  and  rude  questions  then  are  put,  this  doth  lightly 
sadden  the  lofty  mood  of  warriors.  In  truth,  I  will  not, 
Wolfhart,  that  ye  ask  these  questions  of  them." 

Then  he  told  Helfrich  x  to  hasten  thither  speedily, 
and  bade  him  find  from  Etzel's  men  or  from  the  guests 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      303 

themselves,  what  there  had  fortuned,  for  men  had  never 
seen  from  folks  so  great  a  grief.  The  messenger  gan 
ask:  "  What  hath  here  been  done?" 

At  this  one  among  them  spake  :  'k  Whatever  of  joy  we 
had  in  the  Hunnish  land  hath  passed  away.  Here  lieth 
Riideger,  slain  by  the  Burgundians'  hands;  and  of  those 
who  were  come  with  him,  not  one  hath  'scaped  alive." 

Sir  Helfrich  could  never  have  had  a  greater  dole. 
Sorely  weeping,  the  envoy  went  to  Dietrich.  Never  was 
he  so  loth  to  tell  a  tale.  "  What  have  ye  found  for 
us  ?  "  quoth  Dietrich.  "  Why  weep  ye  so  sore,  Knight 
Helfrich?" 

Then  spake  the  noble  champion  :  "  I  have  good  cause 
for  wail.  The  Burgundians  have  slain  the  good  Sir 
Riideger." 

At  this  the  hero  of  Berne  made  answer  :  "  Now  God 
forbid.  That  were  a  fearful  vengeance,  over  which  the 
foul  fiend  would  gloat.  Wherewith  hath  Riideger  de- 
served this  at  their  hands  ?  I  know  full  well,  forsooth, 
he  is  the  strangers'  friend." 

To  this  Wolfhart  answered :  "  And  have  they  done 
this  deed,  't  will  cost  them  all  their  lives.  'T  would  be 
our  shame,  should  we  let  this  pass,  for  of  a  truth  the 
hand  of  the  good  knight  Riideger  hath  served  us  much 
and  oft." 

The  lord  of  the  Amelungs  bade  learn  it  better.  In 
bitter  grief  he  sate  him  at  a  window  and  begged  Hil- 
debrand  to  hie  him  to  the  strangers,  that  he  might  find 
from  them  what  had  been  done.  The  storm-brave  war- 
rior, Master  Ilildebrand,1  bare  neither  shield  nor  wea- 
pon in  his  hand.  In  courtly  wise  he  would  hie  him  to 
the  strangers  ;  for  this  he  was  eluded  by  his  sister's  son. 


304  THE  NIBELUNGENLIED 

Grim  Wolf  hart  spake  :  "  And  ye  will  go  thither  so  bare, 
ye  will  never  fare  without  upbraiding ;  ye  must  return 
with  shame.  But  if  ye  go  there  armed,  each  will  guard 
against  that  well." 

Then  the  wise  man  armed  him,  through  the  counsel 
of  youth.  Or  ever  he  was  ware,  all  Dietrich's  warriors 
had  donned  their  war- weeds  and  held  in  their  hands 
their  swords.  Loth  it  was  to  the  hero,  and  he  would, 
have  gladly  turned  their  mind.  He  asked  whither  they 
would  go. 

"  We  will  hence  with  you.  Perchance  Hagen  of 
Troneg  then  will  dare  the  less  to  address  him  to  you 
with  scorn,  which  full  well  he  knoweth  how  to  use." 
When  he  heard  this,  the  knight  vouchsafed  them  for 
to  go. 

Soon  brave  Folker  saw  the  champions  of  Berne,  the 
liegemen  of  Dietrich,  march  along,  well  armed,  begirt 
with  swords,  while  in  their  hands  they  bare  their 
shields.  He  told  it  to  his  lords  from  out  the  Burgun- 
dian  land.  The  fiddler  spake :  "  Yonder  I  see  the  men 
of  Dietrich  march  along  in  right  hostile  wise,  armed 
cap-a-pie.  They  would  encounter  us;  1  ween  't  will  go 
full  ill  with  us  strangers." 

Meanwhile  Sir  Hildebrand  was  come.  Before  his 
feet  he  placed  his  shield,  and  gan  ask  Gunther's  men  : 
"Alas,  good  heroes,  what  had  Riideger  done  you?  My 
Lord  Dietrich  hath  sent  me  hither  to  you  to  say,  that 
if  the  hand  of  any  among  you  hath  slain  the  noble 
margrave,  as  we  are  told,  we  could  never  stand  such 
mighty  dole." 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg :  "  The  tale  is  true. 
How  gladly  could  I  wish,  that  the  messenger  had  told 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      305 

you  false,  for  Riicleger's  sake,  and  that  he  still  did 
live,  for  whom  both  man  and  wife  may  well  ever  weep.'' 

When  they  heard  aright  that  he  was  dead,  the  war- 
riors made  wail  for  him,  as  their  fealty  bade  them.  Over 
the  beards  and  chins  of  Dietrich's  champions  the  tears 
were  seen  to  run.   Great  grief  had  happened  to  them. 

Siegstab,1  the  Duke  of  Berne,  then  spake  :  "  Now 
hath  come  to  an  end  the  cheer,  that  Riideger  did  give 
us  after  our  days  of  dole.  The  joy  of  all  wayfaring 
folk  lieth  slain  by  you,  sir  knights." 

Then  spake  the  Knight  Wolf  win  2  of  the  Amelungs  : 
"And  I  saw  mine  own  father  dead  to-day,  I  should  not 
make  greater  dole,  than  for  his  death.  Alas,  who  shall 
now  comfort  the  good  margrave's  wife  ?  " 

Angry  of  mood  Knight  Wolf  hart  spake  :  "  Who 
shall  now  lead  the  warriors  to  so  many  a  fight,  as  the 
margrave  so  oft  hath  done  ?  Alas,  most  noble  Riideger, 
that  we  should  lose  thee  thus  !  " 

Wolfbrand  3  and  H  elf  rich  and  Helmnot,  too,  with 
all  their  men  bewailed  his  death.  For  sighing  Hilde- 
brand  might  no  longer  ask  a  whit.  He  spake:  "Sir 
knights,  now  do  what  my  lord  hath  sent  you  here  to 
do.  Give  us  the  corse  of  Riideger  from  out  the  hall,  in 
whom  our  joy  hath  turned  to  grief,  and  let  us  repay  to 
him  the  great  fealty  he  hath  shown  to  us  and  to  many 
another  man.  We,  too,  be  exiles,  just  as  Riideger,  the 
knight.  Why  do  ye  let  us  wait  thus  ?  Let  us  bear 
him  away,  that  we  may  yet  requite  the  knight  in  death. 
More  justly  had  we  done  it,  when  he  was  still  alive." 

Then  spake  King  Gunther:  "Never  was  there  so 
good  a  service  as  that,  which  a  friend  doth  do  to  a 
friend  after  his  death.   When  any  doeth  that,  I  call  it 


306  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

faithful  friendship.  Ye  repay  him  but  rightly,  for  much 
love  hath  he  ever  shown  you." 

"  How  long-  shall  we  still  beseech  ?  "  spake  Knight 
Wolfhart.  "  Sith  our  best  hope  hath  been  laid  low  in 
death  by  you,  and  we  may  no  longer  have  him  with 
us,  let  us  bear  him  hence  to  where  the  warrior  may  be 
buried." 

To  this  Folker  made  answer  :  "  None  will  give  him 
to  you.  Fetch  ye  him  from  the  hall  where  the  warrior 
lieth,  fallen  in  the  blood,  with  mortal  wounds.  'T  will 
then  be  a  perfect  service,  which  ye  render  Riideger." 

Quoth  brave  Wolfhart :  "  God  wot,  sir  minstrel,  ye 
have  given  us  great  dole  and  should  not  rouse  our  ire. 
But  that  I  durst  not  for  fear  of  my  lord,  ye  should  all 
fare  ill.  We  must  perforce  abstain,  sith  he  forbade  us 
strife." 

Then  spake  the  fiddler  :  "  He  hath  a  deal  too  much 
fear  who  doth  abstain  from  all  that  one  forbiddeth  him. 
That  I  call  not  a  real  hero's  mood."  This  speech  of  his 
war  comrade  thought  Hagen  good. 

"  Long  not  for  that,"  answered  Wolfhart,  "  or  I  '11 
play  such  havoc  with  your  fiddle  strings,  that  ye  '11 
have  cause  to  tell  the  tale,  when  ye  ride  homeward  to 
the  Rhine.  I  cannot  brook  in  honor  your  overweening 
pride." 

Quoth  the  fiddler  :  "  If  ye  put  out  of  tune  my  strings, 
then  must  the  gleam  of  your  helmet  grow  dim  from  this 
hand  of  mine,  however  I  ride  to  the  Burgundian  land." 

Then  would  he  leap  at  him,  but  his  uncle  Hilde- 
brand  grasped  him  firmly.  "  I  ween,  thou  wouldst  rage 
in  thy  silly  anger.  Then  hadst  thou  lost  forever  the 
favor  of  my  lord." 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      307 

"  Let  go  the  lion,  master,  he  is  so  fierce  of  mood," 
quoth  the  good  knight  Folker.  "  Had  he  slain  the  whole 
world  with  his  one  hand,  I  '11  smite  him,  and  he  come 
within  my  reach,  so  that  he  may  never  sing  the  answer 
to  my  song." 

At  this  the  men  of  Berne  waxed  passing  wroth  of 
mood.  "Wolf hart,  a  doughty  knight  and  a  good,  snatched 
up  his  shield.  Like  a  wild  lion  he  ran  to  meet  him, 
swiftly  followed  by  all  his  friends.  But  howsoever  great 
the  strides  he  took  towards  the  hall,  yet  did  old  Hilde- 
brand  overtake  him  at  the  steps.  He  would  not  let 
him  reach  the  fray  before  him.  At  the  hands  of  the 
homeless  knights  they  later  found  the  strife  they  sought. 
Master  Hildebrand  then  sprang  at  Hagen.  In  the 
hands  of  both  one  heard  the  swords  ring  out.  That 
both  were  angiy,  might  be  plainly  seen ;  from  the 
swords  of  the  twain  streamed  forth  a  blast  of  fire-red 
sparks.  Then  they  were  parted  in  the  stress  of  battle 
by  the  men  of  Berne,  as  their  strength  did  bid  them. 
At  once  Hildebrand  turned  him  away  from  Hagen, 
but  stout  Wolfhart  addressed  him  to  Folker  the  bold. 
Such  a  blow  he  smote  the  fiddler  upon  his  good  helmet, 
that  the  sword's  edge  pierced  to  the  very  helmet  bands. 
This  the  bold  gleeman  repaid  with  might ;  he  smote 
Wolfhart,  so  that  the  sparks  flew  wide.  Endw  of  fire 
thev  struck  from  the  armor  rinos  for  each  bare  hatred 
to  the  other.  Then  Knight  Wolfwin  of  Berne  did  part 
them  —  an'  he  be  not  a  hero,  never  was  there  one. 

With  willing  hand  Gunther,  the  champion,  greeted 
the  heroes  of  the  Amelung  land.  Lord  Giselher  made 
many  a  gleaming  helmet  red  and  wet  with  blood. 
Dankwart,  Hagen's    brother,  a    fierce  man  was    he  ; 


303  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

whatever  he  had  done  before  to  Etzel's  warriors  in 
strife  was  as  a  wind  to  the  fury  with  which  bold 
Aldrian's  son  now  fought.  Bitschart1  and  Gerbart, 
Helfrich  and  Wichart  had  spared  themselves  full 
seldom  in  many  battle  storms  ;  this  they  now  made 
Gunther's  liegemen  note  full  well.  Wolfbrand,  too, 
was  seen  in  the  strife  bearing  him  in  lordly  wise.  Old 
Hildebrand  fought  as  though  he  raged.  At  Wolfhart's 
hands  many  good  knights,  struck  by  the  sword,  must 
needs  fall  dead  down  into  the  blood.  Thus  the  bold 
champions  and  good  avenged  Knight  Riideger. 

Then  Lord  Siegstab  fought  as  his  prowess  bade 
him.  Ho,  what  good  helmets  of  his  foes  this  son  of 
Dietrich's  sister  clove  in  the  strife !  Nor  might  he 
ever  do  better  in  the  fray.  When  sturdy  Folker  es- 
pied that  bold  Siegstab  hewed  a  bloody  stream  from 
the  hard  armor  rings,  wroth  of  mood  the  hero  grew. 
He  sprang  to  meet  him,  and  Siegstab  lost  his  life 
full  soon  at  the  fiddler's  hands,  for  Folker  gave  him 
such  a  sample  of  his  art,  that  he  soon  lay  dead,  slain 
by  his  sword.  This  old  Hildebrand  avenged,  as  his 
might  did  bid  him. 

"  Alas  for  my  dear  lord,"  spake  Master  Hildebrand, 
"  who  lieth  here  dead  at  Folker's  hands.  Now  shall 
the  fiddler  no  longer  live." 

How  might  bold  Hildebrand  ever  be  fiercer  ?  Folker 
he  smote,  so  that  on  all  sides  the  clasps  flew  to  the 
walls  of  the  hall  from  helmet  and  shield  of  the  doughty 
gleeman.  Thus  stout  Folker  was  done  to  death.  At 
this  the  men  of  Dietrich  pressed  forward  to  the  strife. 
They  smote  so  that  the  armor  rings  whirled  far  and 
wide,  and  high  through  the  air  the  sword-points  were 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      309 

seen  to  fly.  From  the  helmets  they  drew  the  warm 
gushing  stream  of  blood.  When  Hagen  of  Troneg  saw 
Folker  dead,  that  was  the  greatest  sorrow,  that  he  had 
gained  at  the  feasting  in  kinsman  or  in  liegeman. 
Alas,  how  fiercely  Hagen  gan  venge  the  knight ! 
"  Now  old  Hildebrand  shall  not  profit  by  this  deed. 
My  helpmate  lieth  slain  by  the  hero's  hand,  the  best 
war  comrade  that  I  did  ever  win."  Higher  he  raised 
his  helmet,  and  ran,  slashing  as  he  went. 

Stout  Helfrich  slew  Dankwart.  Loth  enow  it  was 
to  Gunther  and  Giselher,  when  they  saw  him  fall  in 
cruel  need,  but  with  his  own  hands  he  himself  had 
well  avenged  his  death.  Meanwhile  Wolfhart  raged 
back  and  forth,  hewing  alway  King  Gunther's  men. 
For  the  third  time  he  was  come  through  the  hall,  and 
many  a  warrior  fell,  struck  by  his  hands. 

Then  Lord  Giselher  cried  out  to  Wolfhart:  "Alas, 
that  I  have  ever  gained  so  grim  a  foe !  Noble  knight 
and  brave,  now  address  you  unto  me.  I  '11  help  to  make 
an  end  ;  this  may  be  no  longer." 

At  this  Wolfhart  turned  him  in  strife  to  Giselher, 
and  each  smote  other  many  a  gaping  wound.  He 
pressed  so  mightily  toward  the  king,  that  the  blood 
beneath  his  feet  spurted  high  above  his  head.  With 
grim  and  fearful  blows  the  son  of  fair  Uta  then 
greeted  the  brave  knight  Wolfhart.  However  strong 
the  warrior,  he  might  not  save  his  life.  Never  could 
so  young  a  king  have  been  more  brave ;  Wolfhart 
he  smote  through  his  stout  hauberk,  that  his  blood 
streamed  down  from  the  wound.  Unto  death  he 
wounded  Dietrich's  liegeman.  None  save  a  champion 
had  done  such  deed.    When  brave  Wolfhart  felt  the 


310  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

wound,  lie  let  fall  his  shield  and  lifted  higher  in  his 
hand  his  mighty  sword,  (sharp  enow  it  was)  ;  through 
both  helmet  and  armor  rings  the  hero  smote  Giselher. 
Thus  each  did  other  fiercely  unto  death. 

Now  was  none  left  of  Dietrich's  men.  Old  Hilde- 
brand  saw  Wolf  hart  fall ;  never  before  his  death,  I 
ween,  did  such  dole  happen  to  him.  The  men  of  Gun- 
ther  all  lay  dead,  and  those  of  Dietrich,  too.  Hilde- 
brand  hied  him  to  where  Wolfhart  had  fallen  in  the 
gore,  and  clasped  in  his  arms  the  brave  knight  and 
good.  He  would  fain  bear  him  from  the  hall,  but  he 
was  a  deal  too  heavy,  and  so  he  must  needs  let  him 
lie.  Then  the  dying  warrior  looked  upward  from  the 
blood  in  which  he  lay  ;  well  he  saw,  that  his  uncle 
would  fain  help  him  hence.  Though  wounded  unto 
death,  he  spake  :  "  Dear  uncle  mine,  ye  may  not  aid 
me  now.  'T  is  well,  methinks,  that  ye  should  guard 
you  against  Hagen.  A  fierce  mood  he  beareth  in 
his  heart.  And  if  perchance  my  kinsmen  would 
mourn  me  after  I  am  dead,  pray  tell  the  nearest  and. 
the  best,  that  they  weep  not  for  me  ;  there  is  no  need 
of  that.  At  the  hands  of  a  king  I  have  met  a  glorious 
death  and  have  also  avenged  me,  so  that  the  wives 
of  the  good  knights  may  well  bewail  it.  If  any  ask 
you  of  this,  ye  may  boldly  say,  that  full  a  hundred 
lie  slain  by  my  hand  alone." 

Then  Hagen,  too,  bethought  him  of  the  gleeman, 
whom  bold  Hildebrand  had  robbed  of  life.  To  the 
knight  he  spake  :  "  Ye  '11  requite  me  now  my  sorrows. 
Through  your  hatred  ye  have  bereft  us  of  many  a 
lusty  knight." 

He  dealt  Hildebrand  such  a  blow,  that  men  heard 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      311 

Balmung  ring,  the  which  bold  Hagen  had  taken  from 
Siegfried,  when  he  slew  the  knight.  Then  the  old 
man  warded  him  ;  in  sooth  he  was  brave  enow.  Die- 
trich's champion  struck  with  a  broad  sword,  that  cut 
full  sore,  at  the  hero  of  Troneg,  but  could  not  wound 
King  Gunther  s  liegeman.  Hagen,  however,  smote 
him  through  his  well-wrought  hauberk.  When  old 
Hildebrand  felt  the  wound,  he  feared  more  scathe  at 
Hagen's  hand  ;  his  shield  he  slung  across  his  back 
and  thus  Sir  Dietrich's  man  escaped  from  Hagen, 
though  sorelv  wounded. 

Now  of  all  the  knights  none  was  alive  save  the 
twain,  Gunther  and  Hagen  alone.  Dripping  with 
blood  old  Hildebrand  went  to  where  he  found  Die- 
trich, and  told  him  the  baleful  tale.  He  saw  him  sitting 
sadly,  but  much  more  of  dole  the  prince  now  gained. 
He  spied  Hildebrand  in  his  blood-red  hauberk,  and 
asked  him  tidings,  as  his  fears  did  prompt  him. 

"  Now  tell  me,  Master  Hildebrand,  how  be  ye  so 
wet  with  your  lifeblood?  Pray  who  hath  done  you 
this?  I  ween,  ye  have  fought  with  the  strangers  in  the 
hall.  I  forbade  it  you  so  sorely,  that  ye  should  justly 
have  avoided  it." 

Then  said  he  to  his  lord  :  "  'T  was  Hagen  that  did 
it.  He  dealt  me  this  wound  in  the  hall,  when  I  would 
fain  have  turned  me  from  the  knight.  I  scarce  escaped 
the  devil  with  my  life." 

Then  spake  the  Lord  of  Berne:  "  Rightly  hath  it 
happed  you,  for  that  ye  have  broken  the  peace,  which 
I  had  sworn  them,  sith  ye  did  hear  me  vow  friend- 
ship to  the  knights.  Were  it  not  mine  everlasting 
shame,  ye  should  lose  your  life." 


312  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

"  My  Lord  Dietrich,  now  be  ye  not  so  wroth  ;  the 
damage  to  my  friends  and  me  is  all  too  great.  Fain 
would  we  have  carried  Riideger's  corse  away,  but  King 
Gunther's  liegemen  would  not  grant  it  us." 

"  Woe  is  me  of  these  sorrows !  If  Riideger  then  be 
dead,  't  will  bring  me  greater  dole,  than  all  my  woe. 
Noble  Gotelind  is  the  child  of  my  father's  sister ; 
alas  for  the  poor  orphans,  that  be  now  in  Bechelaren." 

Riideger's  death  now  minded  him  of  ruth  and  dole. 
Mightily  the  hero  gan  weep  ;  in  sooth  he  had  good 
cause.  "  Alas  for  this  faithful  comrade  whom  I  have 
lost !  In  truth  I  shall  ever  mourn  for  King:  Etzel's 
liegeman.  Can  ye  tell  me,  Master  Hildebrand,  true 
tidings,  who  be  the  knight,  that  hath  slain  him  there  ?  " 

Quoth  he:  "  That  stout  Gemot  did,  with  might  and 
main,  but  the  hero,  too,  fell  dead  at  Riideger's  hands." 

Again  he  spake  to  Hildebrand :  "  Pray  say  to  my 
men,  that  they  arm  them  quickly,  for  I  will  hie  me 
hither,  and  bid  them  make  ready  my  shining  battle 
weeds.  I  myself  will  question  the  heroes  of  the  Bur- 
gundian  land." 

Then  spake  Master  Hildebrand  :  "  Who  then  shall 
join  you  ?  Whatso  of  living  men  ye  have,  ye  see  stand 
by  you.  'T  is  I  alone  ;  the  others,  they  be  dead." 

He  started  at  this  tale  ;  forsooth,  he  had  good  cause, 
for  never  in  his  life  had  he  gained  so  great  a  grief. 
He  spake :  "  And  are  my  men  all  dead,  then  hath 
God  forgotten  me,  poor  Dietrich.  Once  I  was  a  lordly 
king,  mighty,  high,  and  rich."  Again  Sir  Dietrich 
spake :  "  How  could  it  hap,  that  all  the  worshipful 
heroes  died  at  the  hands  of  the  battle-weary,  who 
were  themselves  hard  pressed  ?  Were  it  not  for  mine 


SIR  DIETRICH'S  WARRIORS  ARE  SLAIN      313 

ill-luck,  death  were  still  a  stranger  to  them.  Sith  then 
mine  evil  fortune  would  have  it  so,  pray  tell  me,  are 
any  of  the  strangers  still  alive?  " 

Then  spake  Master  Hildebrand :  "  God  wot,  none 
other  save  only  Hagen  and  Gunther,  the  high-born 
ing. 

"  Alas,  dear  "VVolfhart,  and  I  have  lost  thee  too, 
then  may  it  well  rue  me,  that  ever  I  was  born.  Sieg- 
stab  and  Wolf  win  and  Wolfbrand,  too !  Who  then 
shall  help  me  to  the  Amelung  land  ?  Bold  Helfrieh, 
hath  he,  too,  been  slain,  and  Gerbart  andWichart? 
How  shall  I  ever  mourn  for  them  in  fitting  wise? 
This  day  doth  forever  end  my  joys.  Alas,  that  none 
may  die  for  very  grief!  " 


ADVENTURE  XXXIX 

HOW    GUNTHER    AND    HAGEN    AND    KRIEMHILD     WERE 

SLAIN 

Then  Sir  Dietrich  fetched  himself  his  coat  of  mail, 
and  Master  Hildebrand  helped  him  arm.  The  mighty 
man  made  wail  so  sore,  that  the  whole  house  resounded 
with  his  voice.  But  then  he  gained  again  a  real  hero's 
mood.  The  good  knight  was  now  armed  and  grim  of 
mind  ;  a  stout  shield  he  hung  upon  his  arm.  Thus  he 
and  Master  Hildebrand  went  boldly  hence. 

Then  spake  Hagen  of  Troneg  :  "  Yonder  I  see  Sir 
Dietrich  coming  hither ;  he  would  fain  encounter  us, 
after  the  great  sorrow,  that  hath  here  befallen  him. 
To-day  we  shall  see,  to  whom  one  must  give  the  palm. 
However  strong  of  body  and  grim  of  mood  the  lord  of 
Berne  thinketh  him  to  be,  right  well  dare  I  match 
him,"  so  spake  Hagen,  "  an'  he  will  avenge  on  us 
that  which  hath  been  done  him." 

Dietrich  and  Hildebrand  heard  this  speech,  for  Hagen 
came  to  where  he  found  the  champion  stand  before  the 
house,  leaning  against  the  wall.  Dietrich  set  his  good 
shield  upon  the  ground,  and  spake  in  grievous  dole : 
"  Gunther,  mighty  king,  why  have  ye  so  acted  against 
me,  banished  man  ?  What  have  I  done  to  you  ?  I  stand 
alone,  bereft  of  all  my  comfort.  Ye  thought  it  not  enow 
of  bitter  need,  when  ye  did  kill  Knight  Riideger,  our 
friend.  Now  ye  have  robbed  me  of  all  my  men.  For- 
sooth I  never  had  wrought  you  heroes  sorrow  such  as 


GUNTHER,  HAGEN,  AND  KRIEMHILD  SLAIN   315 

this.  Think  on  yourselves  and  on  your  wrongs.  Doth 
not  the  death  of  your  kinsmen  and  all  the  hardship 
grieve  the  minds  of  you  good  knights  ?  Alas,  what 
great  dole  Riideger's  death  doth  give  me  !  Never  in  all 
the  world  hath  more  of  sorrow  happed  to  any  man.  Ye 
thought  but  little  on  me  and  on  your  pain.  Whatso- 
ever joy  I  had,  that  lieth  slain  by  you.  Certes,  I  never 
can  bewail  my  kin  enow." 

"  Forsooth  we  be  not  so  guilty,"  answered  Hagen. 
"  Your  warriors  came  to  this  hall  in  a  large  band, 
armed  with  care.  Methinks  the  tale  hath  not  been  told 
you  rightly." 

"  What  else  should  I  believe  ?  Hildebrand  told  me, 
that  when  my  knights  from  the  Amelung  land  asked 
that  ye  should  give  up  Riideger's  corse  from  out  the 
hall,  ye  did  naught  but  mock  the  valiant  heroes  from 
above  the  steps." 

Then  spake  the  king  from  the  Rhine  :  "  They  said, 
that  they  would  fain  bear  Riideger  hence,  and  I  bade 
this  be  denied  them  to  vex  King  Etzel,  and  not  thy 
men,  until  then  Wolfhart  began  to  rail  about  it." 

Then  the  hero  of  Berne  made  answer  :  "  Fate  would 
have  it  so.  Gunther,  most  noble  king,  now  through  thy 
courtesie  requite  me  of  the  wrongs,  that  have  happed 
to  me  from  thee,  and  make  sueh  amendw,  brave  knight, 
that  I  may  give  thee  credit  for  the  deed.  Give  thy- 
self and  thy  men  to  me  as  hostages,  and  I  will  guard 
you,  as  best  I  may,  that  none  here  do  thee  aught  among 
the  Huns.  Thou  shalt  find  me  naught  but  good  and 
true." 

"  Now  God  forbid, "  quoth  Hagen,  "  that  two  knights 
give  themselves  up  to  thee,  that  still  do  stand  opposed 


316  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

to  thee  so  doughtily  and  walk  so  uufettered  before 
their  foes." 

"  Gunther  and  Hagen,  ye  should  not  deny  me  this," 
spake  Dietrich.  "  Ye  have  grieved  my  heart  and  mind 
so  sore,  that  it  were  but  right,  and  ye  would  requite 
me.  I  give  you  my  hand  and  troth  as  pledge,  that  I 
will  ride  with  you,  home  to  your  land.  I  '11  lead  you 
in  all  honor,  or  else  lie  dead,  and  for  your  sakes  I  will 
forget  my  grievous  wrongs." 

"  Crave  this  no  longer,"  answered  Hagen.  "  'T  were 
but  little  fitting,  that  the  tale  be  told  of  us,  that  two 
men  so  brave  had  given  themselves  up  to  you.  We 
see  none  standing  by  you,  save  Hildebrand  alone." 

Then  up  spake  Master  Hildebrand:  "  God  wot,  Sir 
Hagen,  the  hour  will  come,  when  ye  will  gladly  take  the 
peace,  if  so  be  any  offer  to  keep  it  with  you.  Ye  might 
well  content  you  with  the  truce  my  lord  doth  offer." 

"  Forsooth  I  'd  take  the  truce,"  quoth  Hagen,  "  or 
ever  I  'd  flee  from  out  a  hall  so  shamefully  as  ye  did, 
Master  Hildebrand.  I  weened,  ye  could  stand  better 
against  a  foe." 

To  this  Hildebrand  made  answer :  "  Why  twit  ye  me 
with  that  ?  Who  was  it  sate  upon  a  shield  hard  by  the 
Waskstone,1  when  Walter  of  Spain  slew  so  many  of  his 
kin  ?  Ye,  too,  have  faults  enow  of  your  own  to  show." 

Then  spake  Sir  Dietrich :  "  111  doth  it  beseem  he- 
roes, that  they  should  scold  like  aged  beldams.  I  for- 
bid you,  Hildebrand,  to  speak  augbt  more.  Grievous 
wrongs  constrain  me,  homeless  warrior.  Let 's  hear, 
Knight  Hagen,  what  ye  twain  did  speak,  ye  doughty 
men,  when  ye  saw  me  coming  toward  you  armed  ?  Ye 
said,  that  ye  alone  would  fain  encounter  me  in  strife." 


GUNTHER,  HAGEN,  AND  KRIEMHILD  SLAIN   317 

"  Certes,  none  doth  deny,"  Knight  Hagen  spake, 
"  that  I  will  essay  it  here  with  mighty  blows,  unless  be, 
that  the  sword  of  Nibelung  break  in  my  hand.  Wroth 
am  I,  that  we  twain  have  here  been  craved  as  hostages." 

When  Dietrich  noted  Hagen's  raging  mood,  quickly 
the  doughty  knight  and  good  snatched  up  his  shield. 
How  swiftly  Hagen  sprang  toward  him  from  the  steps! 
Loudly  the  good  sword  of  Nibelung  rang  on  Dietrich's 
head.  Then  wist  Dietrich  well,  that  the  bold  knight 
was  grim  of  mood.  The  lord  of  Berne  gan  guard  him 
against  the  fearful  blows,  for  well  he  knew  Hagen,  the 
stately  knight.  Balmung  he  also  feared,  a  weapon 
stout  enow.  Dietrich  returned  the  blows  at  times  in 
cunning  wise,  until  at  last  he  conquered  Hagen  in 
the  strife.  A  wound  he  dealt  him,  the  which  was  deep 
and  long.  Then  Lord  Dietrich  thought  him  :  "  Thou 
art  worn  out  with  strife  ;  little  honor  shall  I  have,  and 
thou  liest  dead  before  me.  I  will  try,  if  perchance  I 
can  force  thee  to  be  my  hostage." 

This  he  wrought  with  danger.  His  shield  he  let  fall, 
great  was  his  strength,  and  clasped  Hagen  of  Troneg 
in  his  arms.  Thus  the  brave  knight  was  overcome  by 
Dietrich.  Noble  Gunther  gan  wail  thereat.  Dietrich  now 
bound  Hagen  and  led  him  to  where  he  found  the  high- 
born queen;  into  her  hand  he  gave  the  bravest  warrior 
that  ever  bare  a  sword.  Then  merry  enow  she  grew 
after  her  great  dole.  For  very  joy  King  Etzel's  wife 
bowed  low  before  the  knight.  "  May  thy  heart  and  body 
be  ever  blest.  Thou  hast  well  requited  me  of  all  my 
woes.  For  this  will  I  ever  serve  thee,  unless  be,  that 
death  doth  hinder  me  therefrom." 

Then  spake  Lord  Dietrich  :  "  Pray  let  him  live,  most 


318  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

noble  queen.  And  if  this  still  may  be,  how  well  will  I 
requite  you  of  that  which  he  hath  da  ne  you !  Let  him 
not  suffer,  because  ye  see  him  stand  here  bound." 

She  bade  Hagen  then  be  led  away  to  duress,  where 
he  lay  locked  in  and  where  none  did  see  him.  Gunther, 
the  high-born  king,  began  to  call :  "  Whither  went  the 
knight  of  Berne  ?  He  hath  done  me  wrong." 

At  this  Lord  Dietrich  went  to  meet  him.  Gunther's 
might  was  worthy  of  praise ;  no  more  he  bided,  but 
ran  outside  the  hall,  and  from  the  clashing  of  the  swords 
of  the  twain  a  mighty  din  arose.  However  much  and 
long  Lord  Dietrich's  prowess  had  been  praised,  yet 
Gunther  was  so  sorely  angered  and  enraged,  for  because 
of  the  grievous  dole,  he  was  his  deadly  foe,  that  men 
still  tell  it  as  a  wonder,  that  Sir  Dietrich  did  not  fall. 
Great  were  both  their  prowess  and  their  strength.  The 
palace  and  the  towers  resounded  with  the  blows,  when 
with  the  swords  they  hewed  at  the  sturdy  helmets. 
King  Gunther  was  of  lordly  mood,  but  the  knight  of 
Berne  overcame  him,  as  happed  to  Hagen  afore.  The 
hero's  blood  was  seen  to  ooze  through  the  armor  rings, 
drawn  forth  by  a  keen-edged  sword,  the  which  Sir  Die- 
trich bare.  Though  weary,  Sir  Gunther  had  guarded 
him  most  valiantly.  The  lord  was  now  bound  by 
Dietrich's  hands.  Though  kings  should  not  endure 
such  bonds,  yet  Dietrich  thought,  if  he  set  free  the 
king  and  his  liegeman,  that  all  they  met  must  needs 
fall  dead  at  their  hands. 

Dietrich  of  Berne  now  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
led  him  bound  to  where  he  found  Kriemhild.  At  sight 
of  his  sorrow  much  of  her  fear  took  flight.  She  spake : 
"  Welcome,  Gunther,  from  the  Burgundian  land." 


GUNTHER,  HAGEN,  AND  KRIEMHILD  SLAIN    319 

Quoth  he :  "I  would  bow  before  you,  dear  sister 
mine,  if  your  grepHngs  were  but  kinder.  I  know  you, 
queen,  to  be  so  wroth  of  mood  that  ye  do  give  me  and 
Hagen  meagre  greetings." 

Up  spake  the  knight  of  Berne  :  "  Most  noble  queen, 
never  were  such  good  knights  made  hostages,  as  I  have 
given  you  in  them,  exalted  lady.  For  my  sake,  I  pray 
you,  spare  these  homeless  men." 

She  vowed  she  W  do  it  gladly.  Then  Sir  Dietrich 
left  the  worshipful  knights  with  weeping  eyes.  Later 
Etzel's  wife  avenged  her  grimly ;  she  took  the  life  of 
both  the  chosen  heroes.  To  make  their  duress  worse 
she  let  them  lie  apart,  so  that  neither  saw  the  other, 
till  she  bare  her  brother's  head  to  Hagen.  Kriemhild's 
vengeance  on  both  was  great  enow. 

Then  the  queen  went  to  Hagen.  In  what  right  hos- 
tile wise  she  spake  to  the  knight :  "  If  ye  will  give  me 
back  what  ye  have  taken  from  me,  then  ye  may  still 
go  home  alive  to  Burgund}'." 

Grim  Hagen  answered :  "  Thou  dost  waste  thy 
words,  most  noble  queen.  Forsooth  I  have  sworn  an 
oath,  that  I  would  not  show  the  hoard,  the  while  and 
any  of  my  lords  still  live  ;  so  I  shall  give  it  to  none." 

"  I  '11  make  an  end  of  this,"  quoth  the  high-born 
wife.  Then  she  bade  her  brother's  life  be  taken.  His 
head  they  struck  off,  and  by  the  hair  she  bare  it  to  the 
knight  of  Troneg.  Loth  enow  it  was  to  him.  When 
sad  of  mind  the  warrior  gazed  upon  his  master's  head, 
he  spake  to  Kriemhild :  "  Thou  hast  brought  it  to  an 
end  after  thy  will,  and  it  hath  happed,  as  I  had  thought 
me.  The  noble  king  of  Burgundy  now  lieth  dead,  and 
Giselher,  the  youth,  and  Sir  Gemot,  too.  None  know- 


320  THE   NIBELUNGENLIED 

eth  of  the  treasure  now  save  God  and  me,  and  it  shall 
ever  be  hid  from  thee,  thou  fiend." 

Quoth  she :  "Ye  have  requited  me  full  ill,  so  I  will 
keep  the  sword  of  Siegfried,  the  which  my  sweetheart 
bare,  when  last  I  saw  him,  in  whom  dole  of  heart  hath 
happed  to  me  through  you." 

From  the  sheath  she  drew  it,  nor  could  he  hinder 
her  a  whit.  She  planned  to  rob  the  knight  of  life. 
With  her  hands  she  raised  it  and  struck  off  his  head. 
This  King  Etzel  saw,  and  sore  enow  it  rued  him. 
"  Alack  !  "  cried  the  lording,  "  how  lieth  now  dead  at 
a  woman's  hands  the  very  best  of  knights,  that  ever 
came  to  battle  or. bare  a  shield!  However  much  I  was 
his  foe,  yet  it  doth  grieve  me  sorely." 

Then  spake  old  Hildebrand  :  kk  Forsooth  it  shall  not 
boot  her  aught,  that  she  durst  slay  him.  Whatso  hap 
to  me,  and  however  much  it  may  bring  me  to  a  dan- 
gerous pass,  yet  will  I  avenge  bold  Troneg's  death." 

Hildebrand  sprang  in  wrath  towards  Kriemhild.  For 
fear  of  him  she  suffered  pain  ;  but  what  might  it  avail 
her,  that  she  shrieked  so  frightfully?  He  dealt  the 
queen  a  grievous  sword-blow,  the  which  did  cut  the 
high-born  dame  in  twain.  Now  all  lay  low  in  death 
whom  fate  had  doomed.  Dietrich  and  Etzel  then  began 
to  weep  ;  sorely  they  mourned  both  kin  and  liegemen. 
Their  mickle  honors  lay  there  low  in  death ;  the  courtiers 
all  had  grief  and  drearihead.  The  king's  high  feast  had 
ended  now  in  woe,  as  joy  doth  ever  end  in  sorrow  at 
the  last.  I  cannot  tell  you,  that  which  happed  there- 
after, save  that  knights  and  ladies  and  noble  squires 
were  seen  to  weep  for  the  death  of  loving  kinsmen.  The 
tale  hath  here  an  end.  This  is  the  Nibelun^s'  fall.1 


NOTES 


NOTES 

Page  1.  Note  1.  Nibelungenlied,  the  lay  of  the  Nibelungs. 
The  ordinary  etymology  of  this  name  is  'children  of  the  mist' 
(Nebtlkinder,  O.  N.  Nijlungar),  and  it  is  thought  to  have  belonged 
originally  to  the  dwarfs.  Piper,  I,  50,  interprets  it  as  '  the  sons 
of  Nibul ' ;  Boer,  n,  198,  considers  Hnijlungar  to  be  the  correct 
Norse  form  and  interprets  it  as  '  the  descendants  of  Hnaef'  (O.  E. 
Hnaef,  O.  H.  G.  Hnabi),  whose  death  is  related  in  the  Finnsaga. 

Note  2.  Adventure  (M.  H.  G.  aventiure,  from  O.  F.  aventure, 
Lat.  adventura).  The  word  meant  originally  a  happening,  espe- 
cially some  great  event,  then  the  report  of  such  an  event.  Here 
it  is  used  in  the  sense  of  the  different  cantos  or  Jilts  of  the  poem, 
as  in  the  Gudrun  and  other  M.  H.  G.  epics.  Among  the  courtly 
poets  it  also  frequently  denotes  the  source,  or  is  the  personifica- 
tion of  the  muse  of  poetry. 

Note  3.  Kriemhild  is  the  Upper  German  form  of  the  Frank- 
ish  Grimhild.  In  the  MSS.  the  name  generally  appears  with  a 
further  shifting  as  Chriemhilt,  as  if  the  initial  consonant  were 
Germanic  k.  On  the  various  forms  of  the  name,  which  have 
never  yet  been  satisfactorily  explained,  see  Mullenhoff,  ZsfdA. 
xii,  299,413;  xv,  313;  and  Rohnenberger,  PB.  Beit,  xxiv,  221- 
231. 

Note  4.  Gunther  is  the  historical  Gundahari,  king  of  the 
Burgundians  in  the  fifth  century.   See  the  introduction,  p.  xxxiv. 

Note  5.  Gemot  was  probably  introduced  by  some  minstrel 
in  place  of  the  historical  Godomar,  who  appears  in  the  Norse 
version  as  Gutthormr,  though  the  names  are  not  etymologically 
the  same,  as  Godomar  would  be  GuSmarr  in  Old  Norse. 

Note  (J.  Giselher  is  the  historical  Gislaharius.  Although  men- 
tioned by  the  Lex  Burgundionnm  as  one  of  the  Burgundian  kings, 
he  does  not  appear  in  the  early  Norse  version,  or  in  other  poems 
dealing  with  these  persons,  such  as  the  Waltharius,  the  Raben- 
schiacht,  the  Rosengarten,  etc.,  and  was  probably  introduced  at  a 
late  date  into  the  saga.  Originally  no  role  was  ascribed  to  him, 
and  not  even  his  death  is  told.  He  probably  came  from  some  in- 
dependent source. 


324  NOTES 

Note  7.  Etzel  is  the  German  form  for  the  historical  Attila 
(Norse  Atli).  A  discussion  of  his  connection  with  the  saga  will 
be  found  in  the  introduction,  p.  xxxv. 

Note  8.  Worms  is  the  ancient  Borbetomagus,  which  in  the 
first  century  b.  c.  was  the  chief  city  of  the  German  tribe  of  the 
Vangioni.  In  the  fifth  century  it  was  the  capital  of  the  Burgun- 
dian  kingdom,  but  was  destroyed  by  the  Huns.  The  Merovin- 
gians rebuilt  it,  and  in  the  seventh  century  it  became  a  bishopric 
where  Charlemagne  at  times  held  his  court.  It  was  later  noted 
as  the  meeting-place  of  many  imperial  diets.  It  remained  a  free 
city  till  1801.  In  the  Thidreksaga  the  name  is  corrupted  into 
Wernize. 

Page  2.  Note  1.  Uta  (M.  H.  G.  Uote).  The  name  means 
ancestress,  and  is  frequently  used  for  the  mother  of  heroes.  The 
modern  German  form  is  Cite,  but  in  order  to  insure  its  being  pro- 
nounced with  two  syllables,  the  form  Uta  was  chosen. 

Note  2.  Dankrat  (M.  H.  G.  Dancrat)  appears  as  the  father 
only  in  the  Nibelungenlied  and  poems  dependent  on  it,  e.  g.,  the 
Klage  and  the  Biterolf,  elsewhere  as  Gibiche  (Norse  Giuki). 

Note  3.  Hagen  of  Troneg.  Troneg  is  probably  a  corruption 
of  the  name  of  the  Latin  colony,  colonia  Trajana,  on  the  Lower 
Rhine,  which  as  early  as  the  fifth  century  was  written  as  Troja, 
giving  rise  to  the  legend  that  the  Franks  were  descended  from 
the  ancient  Trojans.  Troja  was  then  further  corrupted  to  Tronje 
and  Tronege.  Hagen  was  therefore  originally  a  Frank  and  had 
no  connection  with  the  Burgundian  kings,  as  the  lack  of  allitera- 
tion also  goes  to  show.  Boer  thinks  that  not  Siegfried  but  Hagen 
originally  lived  at  Xanten  (see  note  3  to  page  4),  as  this  was  often 
called  Troja  Francorum.  When  the  Hagen  story  was  connected 
with  the  Burgundians  and  Hagen  became  either  their  brother  or 
their  vassal,  his  home  was  transferred  to  Worms  and  Siegfried 
was  located  at  Xanten,  as  he  had  no  especial  localization.  Thus 
Siegfried  is  never  called  Siegfried  of  Troneg,  as  is  Hagen.  Other 
attempts  to  explain  Troneg  will  be  found  in  Piper,  I,  48. 

Note  4.  Dankwart  is  not  an  historical  character  nor  one  that 
belonged  to  the  early  form  of  the  legend.  He  may  have  come 
from  another  saga,  where  he  played  the  principal  role  as  Droege 
(ZsfdA.  48,  499)  thinks.  Boer  considers  him  to  be  Hagen's 
double,  invented  to  play  a  part  that  would  naturally  fall  to  Ha- 
gen's share,  were  he  not  otherwise  engaged  at  the  moment.  In 


NOTES  325 

our  poem  he  is  called  Dancwart  der  snelle,  a  word  that  has  proved 
a  stumbling-block  to  translators,  because  in  modern  German  it 
means  'speedy,'  'swift.'  Its  original  meaning  was,  however, 
'  brave,'  '  warlike,'  although  the  later  meaning  is  already  found 
in  M.  H.  G.  In  all  such  doubtful  cases  the  older  meaning  has 
been  preferred,  unless  the  context  forbids,  and  the  word '  doughty : 
has  been  chosen  to  translate  it. 

Note  o.  Ortwin  of  Metz  appears  also  in  the  Eckenlied, 
Waltharius,  and  in  Biterolf.  He  is  most  likely  a  late  introduc- 
tion (but  see  Piper,  I,  44).  Rieger  thinks  that  he  belonged  to  a 
wealthy  family  De  Metis.  Though  the  i  is  long  in  the  original, 
and  Simrock  uses  the  form  Ortewein  in  his  translation,  the  spell- 
ing with  short  i  has  been  chosen,  as  the  lack  of  accent  tends  to 
shorten  the  vowel  in  such  names. 

Note  6.  Gere  is  likewise  a  late  introduction.  He  is  perhaps 
the  historical  Margrave  Gero  (f  965)  of  East  Saxony,  whom  Otto 
the  Great  appointed  as  a  leader  against  the  Slavs.  See  O.  von 
Heinemann,  Markgraf  Gero,  Braunschweig,  1860,  and  Piper, 
1,43. 

Note  7-  Eckewart  is  also  a  late  accession.  He  is  perhaps 
the  historical  margrave  of  Meissen  (1002),  the  first  of  the  name. 
He,  too,  won  fame  in  battle  against  the  Slavs. 

Note  8.  Folker  of  Alzei  (M.  H.  G.  Volker  von  Alzeije),  the 
knightly  minstrel,  is  hardly  an  historical  personage,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  Alzey  is  a  well-known  town  in  Rhine  Hesse  on  the 
Selz,  eighteen  miles  southwest  of  Mainz.  The  town  has,  to  be 
sure,  a  violin  in  its  coat  of  arms,  as  also  the  noble  family  of  the 
same  name.  It  is  most  likely,  however,  that  this  fact  caused 
Folker  to  be  connected  with  Alzei.  In  the  Thidnksaga  Folker 
did  not  play  the  role  of  minstrel,  and  it  is  probable  that  some 
minstrel  reviser  of  our  poem  developed  the  character  and  made 
it  the  personification  of  himself. 

Note  9.  Rumolt,  Sindolt,  and  Hunolt  have  no  historical 
basis  and  merely  help  to  swell  the  retinue  of  the  Burgundians. 

Note  10.  -worship.  This  word  has  been  fretpiently  used  here 
in  its  older  meaning  of  'worth,'  'reverence,'  'respect,'  to  trans- 
late the  M.  H.  G.  eren,  'honors.' 

Page  4.  Note  1.  Siegmund  (M.  H.G.  Sigt munt)  was  origi- 
nally the  hero  of  an  independent  saga.  See  Voteonga&aga,  chaps. 
3-8. 


326  NOTES 

Note  2.  Siegelind  (M.  H.  G.  Sigelint)  is  the  correct  name  of 
Siegfried's  mother,  as  the  alliteration  shows.  The  Early  Norse 
version  has  Hjordis,  which  has  come  from  the  Helgi  saga. 

Note  3.  Xanten  (M.  H.  G.  Santen  from  the  Latin  ad  sanctos) 
is  at  present  a  town  in  the  Rhenish  Prussian  district  of  Diisseldorf . 
It  does  not  now  lie  on  the  Rhine,  but  did  in  the  Middle  Ages. 

Page  5.  Note  1.  sword-thanes  (M.  H.  G.  swertdegene)  were 
the  young  squires  who  were  to  he  made  knights.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom for  a  youthful  prince  to  receive  the  accolade  with  a  number 
of  others. 

Note  2.  midsummer  festival.  The  M.  H.  G.  sunewende 
means  literally  the  '  sun's  turning,'  i.  e.,  the  summer  solstice. 
This  was  one  of  the  great  Germanic  festivals,  which  the  church 
later  turned  into  St.  John's  Eve.  The  bonfires  still  burnt  in  Ger- 
many on  this  day  are  survivals  of  the  old  heathen  custom. 

Page  6.  Note  1.  hurtling  translates  here  M.  H.  G.  buhurt, 
a  word  borrowed  from  the  French  to  denote  a  knightly  sport  in 
which  many  knights  clashed  together.  Hurtling  was  used  in  older 
English  in  the  same  significance. 

Note  2.  palace  (M.  H.  G.  palas,  Lat.  palatium)  is  a  large 
building  standing  alone  and  largely  used  as  a  reception  hall. 

Note  3.  truncheons  (M.  H.  G.  trunzune,  O.  F.  tron^on), '  lance 
splinters,'  'fragments  of  spears.' 

Note  4.  to-shivered,  '  broken  to  pieces,'  in  imitation  of  the 
older  English  to-beat,  to-break,  etc. 

Note  5.  spangles  (M.  H.  G.  spangen),  strips  of  metal  radi- 
ating from  the  raised  centre  of  the  shield  and  often  set,  as  here, 
with  precious  stones. 

Page  8.  Note  1.  guest  translates  here  the  M.  H.  G.  gest,  a 
word  which  may  mean  either  'guest'  or  'stranger,'  and  it  is 
often  difficult,  as  here,  to  tell  to  which  meaning  the  preference 
should  be  given. 

Page  9.  Note  1.  eleven  translates  the  M.  H.  G.  selbe  zwelfte, 
which  means  one  of  twelve.  The  accounts  are,  however,  contra- 
dictory, as  a  few  lines  below  mention  is  made  of  twelve  com- 
panions of  Siegfried. 

Page  10.  Note  1.  vair  (O.  F.  vair,  Lat.  varius),  'variegated,' 
like  the  fur  of  the  squirrel. 

Page  12.  Note  1.  known.  It  was  a  mark  of  the  experienced 
warrior,  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  customs  and  dress  of 


NOTES  327 

various  countries  and  with  the  names  and  lineage  of  all  impor- 
tant personages.  Thus  in  the  Hildebrandslied  Hildebrand  asks 
Hadubrand  to  tell  him  his  father's  name,  and  adds :  "  If  thou 
tellest  me  the  one,  I  shall  know  the  other." 

Page  13.  Note  1.  Schilbung  and  Nibelung,  here  spoken  of 
as  the  sons  of  a  mighty  king,  were  originally  dwarfs,  and,  ac- 
cording to  some  authorities,  the  original  owners  of  the  treasure. 
Boer,  II,  199,  thinks,  however,  that  the  name  Nibelungs  was 
transferred  from  Hagen  to  these  dwarfs  at  a  late  stage  in  the 
formation  of  the  saga. 

Page  14.  Note  1.  angry  of  mood.  The  reason  of  this  anger 
is  apparent  from  the  more  detailed  account  in  Biterolf,  7801. 
The  quarrel  arose  from  the  fact  that,  according  to  ancient  law, 
Siegfried  acquired  with  the  sword  the  rights  of  the  first  born, 
which  the  brothers,  however,  refused  to  accord  to  him. 

Note  2.  Balmung.  In  the  older  Norse  version  and  in  the 
Thidreksaga  Siegfried's  sword  bore  the  name  of  Gram. 

Note  3.  Alberich  is  a  dwarf  king  who  appears  in  a  number 
of  legends,  e.  g.,  in  the  Ortnit  saga  and  in  Biterolf.  Under  the 
Romance  form  of  his  name,  Oberon,  he  plays  an  important  role 
in  modern  literature. 

Note  4.  Cloak  of  Darkness.  This  translates  the  M.  H.  G. 
tarnkappe,  a  word  often  retained  by  translators.  It  is  formed 
from  O.  H.  (!.  (ami,  'secret'  (cf.  O.  E.  dyrne),  and  kappe  from 
late  Latin  cappa,  '  cloak.'  It  rendered  the  wearer  invisible  and 
gave  him  the  strength  of  twelve  men. 

Page  20.  Note  1.  Saxons.  This  war  with  the  Saxons  does 
not  appear  in  the  poetic  Edda,  but  was  probably  introduced  into 
the  story  later  to  provide  the  heroes  with  a  suitable  activity  in 
the  period  elapsing  between  Siegfried's  marriage  and  the  jour- 
ney to  Brunhild's  land.  (In  our  poem  it  is  placed  before  the 
marriage.)  It  reflects  the  ancient  feuds  between  the  Franks  on 
the  one  hand  and  the  Saxons  and  Danes  on  the  other.  Originally 
Siegfried  probably  did  not  take  part  in  it,  but  was  later  intro- 
duced and  made  the  leader  of  the  expedition  in  place  of  the 
king,  in  accordance  with  the  tendency  to  idealize  him  and  to 
give  him  everywhere  the  most  important  role.  The  two  oppos- 
ing leaders  are  Liudeger,  lord  of  the  Saxons,  ami  Litidegast,  kin"; 
of  Denmark.  In  Biterolf  Liudeger  rules  over  both  Saxons  and 
Danes,  and  Liudegast  is  his  brother. 


328  NOTES 

Page  21.  Note  1.  fey.  This  Scotch  and  older  English  word 
has  been  chosen  to  translate  the  M.  H.  G  veige, '  fated,'  'doomed,' 
as  it  is  etymologically  the  same  word.  The  ancient  Germans  were 
fatalists  and  believed  only  those  would  die  in  battle  whom  fate 
had  so  predestined. 

Page  22.  Note  1.  thirty  thousand.  The  M.  H.  G.  epics  are 
fond  of  round  numbers  and  especially  of  thirty  and  its  multi- 
ples. The}'  will  be  found  to  occur  very  frequently  in  our  poem. 
See  Lachmann,  Anmerkungen  zu  den  Nibelungen,  474   1. 

Page  23.  Note  1.  their.  The  original  is  obscure  here  ;  the 
meaning  is, '  when  he  heard  with  what  message  they  were  come, 
he  rued  the  haughtiness  of  the  Burgundians.' 

Page  32.  Note  1.  marks  of  gold.  A  mark  (Lat.  marca)  was 
half  a  pound  of  gold  or  silver. 

Page  44.  Note  1.  Isenland  translates  here  M.  H.  G.  Islant, 
which  has,  however,  no  connection  with  Iceland  in  spite  of  the 
agreement  of  the  names  in  German.  Isen  lant,  the  reading  of 
the  MSS.  BJh,  has  been  chosen,  partly  to  avoid  confusion,  and 
partly  to  indicate  its  probable  derivation  from  Isenste'm,  the  name 
of  Brunhild's  castle.  Boer's  interpretation  of  Isen  as  '  ice  '  finds 
corroboration  in  Otfrid's  form  isine  steina  ('ice  stones,'  i.e.  crys- 
tals) I,  1.  70.  Isenstein  would  then  mean  Ice  Castle.  In  the 
Thidreksaga  Brunhild's  castle  is  called  Saegardr  ('  Sea  Garden '), 
and  in  a  fairy  tale  (No.  93  of  Grimm)  Stromberg,  referring  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  surrounded  by  the  sea.  Here,  too,  in  our 
poem  it  stands  directly  on  the  shore. 

Page  48.  Note  1.  Zazamanc,  a  fictitious  kingdom  mentioned 
only  here  and  a  few  times  in  Parzival,  Wolfram  probably  having 
obtained  the  name  from  this  passage.  (See  Bartsch,  Germanis- 
tische  Studien,  II,  129.) 

Page  49.  Note  1.  -wont  to  •wear.  In  the  Middle  Ages  costly 
furs  and  fish-skins  were  used  as  linings  and  covered,  as  here  de- 
scribed, with  silk  or  cloth.  By  fish  such  amphibious  animals  as 
otter  and  beaver  were  often  meant. 

Note  2.  well  fit.  In  this  passage  wert,  the  reading  of  A  and 
D,  has  been  followed,  instead  of  unwert  of  B  and  C,  as  it  seems 
more  appropriate  to  the  sense. 

Note  3.  dight,  '  arrayed  ' ;  used  by  Milton. 

Page  52.  Note  1.  Brunhild.  The  following  words  are  evi- 
dently a  late  interpolation,  and  weaken  the  ending,  but  have  been 


NOTES  329 

translated  for  the  sake  of  completeness.  They  are  spoken  by 
Siegfried. 

Page  55.  Note  1.  palaces.  See  note  2  to  page  6. 

Page  58.  Note  1.  surcoat,  which  here  translates  the  M.  H.G. 
wafenhemde,  is  a  light  garment  of  cloth  or  silk  worn  above  the 
armor. 

Page  59.  Note  1.  Azagouc.  See  Zazamanc,  note  1  to  page 
48.  This  strophe  is  evidently  a  late  interpolation,  as  it  contra- 
dicts the  description  given  above. 

Note  2.  weights.  The  M.  H.  G.  messe  (Lat.  masxa)  is  just  as 
indefinite  as  the  English  expression.  It  was  a  mass  or  lump  of 
any  metal,  probably  determined  by  the  size  of  the  melting-pot. 

Page  65.  Note  1.  Adventure  VIII.  This  whole  episode,  in 
which  Siegfried  fetches  men  to  aid  Gunther  in  case  of  attempted 
treachery  on  Brunhild's  part,  is  of  late  origin  and  has  no  counter- 
part in  the  older  versions.  It  is  a  further  development  of  Sieg- 
fried's fight  in  which  he  slew  Schilbung  and  Nibelung  and  be- 
came the  ruler  of  the  Nibelung  land.  The  fight  with  Alberich  is 
simply  a  repetition  of  the  one  in  the  former  episode. 

Note  2.  rest  (M.  H.  G.  rast),  originally  '  repose,'  then  used 
as  a  measure  of  distance,  as  here. 

Page  66.  Note  1.  knobs,  round  pieces  of  metal  fastened  to 
the  scourge. 

Page  67.  Note  1.  cunning  is  to  be  taken  here  in  the  Bibli- 
cal sense  of  '  knowing.'  The  M.  H.  G.  listig  which  it  here  trans- 
lates, denotes  '  skilled  '  or  '  learned '  in  various  arts  and  is  a  stand- 
ing epithet  of  dwarfs. 

Note  2.  mulled  -wine  translates  M.  H.  G.  I  utertranc,  a  claret 
mulled  with  herbs  and  spice  and  left  to  stand  until  clear. 

Page  69.  Note  1.  mark.  See  note  1  to  page  32. 

Page  77.  Note  1.  fillets  were  worn  only  by  married  women. 

Page  78.  Note  1.  ferran.  a  gray  colored  cloth  of  silk  and 
wool  ;  from  O.  F.  ferrandine. 

Notk  2.  clasps  or  brooches  were  used  to  fasten  the  dresses 
in  front. 

Page  80.  Note  1.  chaplet  (O.  F.  chaplet,  dim.  of  chapel, 
M.  H.  G.  schapel  or  achapi -lln)  or  wreath  was  the  headdress  es- 
pecially of  unmarried  girls,  the  hair  being  worn  flowing.  It  was 
often  of  flowers  or  leaves,  but  not  infrequently  of  gold  and  silver. 
(See  Weinhold,  Deutsche  Frauen  im  Mittelalter 2,  I,  387.) 


330  NOTES 

Page  94.  Note  1.  Eckewart,  see  note  7  to  page  2. 

Page  95.  Note  1.  Xanten,  see  note  3  to  page  4. 

Page  96.  Note  1.  cognizance,  '  jurisdiction.' 

Note  2.  dames,  i.  e.,  Siegelind  and  Krieinhild. 

Page  100.  Note  1.  Norway.  The  interpolated  character  of 
the  adventures  XI  to  XIII,  which  are  not  found  in  the  earlier 
versions,  is  shown  by  the  confusion  in  the  location  of  Siegfried's 
court.  The  poet  has  forgotten  that  Xanten  is  his  capital,  and  lo- 
cates it  in  Norway.  No  mention  is  made,  however,  of  the  messen- 
gers crossing  the  sea  ;  on  the  contrary,  Kriemhild  speaks  of  their 
being  sent  down  the  Rhine. 

Page  108.  Note  1.  meiny  (M.  E.  meiny,  O.  F.  mesnee), 
'courtiers,'  'serving  folk.' 

Note  2.   housings,  '  saddle  cloths.' 

Page  114.  Note  1.  leman  (M.  E.  lemman,  O.  E.  leof  mann, 
'  lief  man,'  i.  e.,  '  dear  one  '),  '  mistress  '  in  a  bad  sense. 

Page  124.  Note  1.  brach,  '  hunting  dog,'  cognate  with  M. 
H.  G.  bracke,  used  here. 

Page  127.  Note  1.  lion.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state 
that  lions  did  not  roam  at  large  in  the  forests  of  Germany.  They 
were,  however,  frequently  exhibited  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and 
the  poet  introduced  one  here  to  enhance  Siegfried's  fame  as  a 
hunter. 

Note  2.  ure-oxen,  the  auerochs,  or  European  bison,  now 
practically  extinct. 

Note  3.  sheik  (M.  H.  G.  schelch),  probably  a  species  of  giant 
deer. 

Page  129.  Note  1.  fragrance.  It  was  believed  that  the  odor 
of  the  panther  attracted  the  game.  Compare  the  description  of  the 
panther  in  the  older  Physiologus,  where  the  odor  is  said  to  surpass 
that  of  all  ointments. 

Note  2.  otter  translates  here  M.  H.  G.  ludem,  whose  exact 
connotation  is  not  known.  Some  interpret  it  to  mean  the  fish  otter, 
others  the  Waldschrat,  a  kind  of  faun. 

Note  3.  Balmung,  see  note  2  to  page  14. 

Page  131.  Note  1.  Spessart  wood  lies  forty  to  fifty  miles 
east  of  Worms  and  is  therefore  too  distant  for  a  day's  hunt,  but 
such  trifles  did  not  disturb  the  poet. 

Note  2.   mulled  wine,  see  note  2  to  page  67. 

Page  132.     Note  1.  feet.  This  was  probably  done  as  a  handi- 


NOTES  331 

cap.  The  time  consumed  in  rising  to  his  feet  would  give  his  oppo- 
nent quite  a  start. 

Page  141.  Note  1.  bleed.  This  was  not  only  a  popular  su- 
perstition, hut  also  a  legal  practice  in  case  of  a  murder  wlien  the 
criminal  had  not  been  discovered,  or  if  any  one  was  suspected. 
The  suspected  person  was  requested  to  approach  the  bier  and 
touch  the  body,  in  the  belief  that  the  blood  would  flow  afresh  if 
the  one  touching  the  body  were  guilty.  Our  passage  is  the  first 
instance  of  its  mention  in  German  literature.  A  similar  one 
occurs  in  Iwein,  1355-1364.  The  usage  was  also  known  in  France 
and  England.  See  the  instances  quoted  by  Jacob  Grimm  in  his 
Rechtsalter  turner,  930. 

Page  151.  Note  1.  Marriage  morning  gift  was  the  gift 
which  it  was  customary  for  the  bridegroom  to  give  the  bride  on 
the  morning  after  the  bridal  night.  On  this  custom  see  Weinhold, 
Deutsche  Frauen  im  Mittelalter2,  I,  p.  402. 

Note  2.  Alberich,  see  note  3  to  page  14.  It  is  characteristic 
of  the  poem  that  even  this  dwarf  is  turned  into  a  knight. 

Page  152.  Note  1.  wishing-rod,  a  magic  divining  rod  for 
discovering  buried  treasure.  Cf .  Grimm,  Deutsche  Mythologie 4,  II, 
813. 

Page  153.  Note  1.  Loche,  according  to  Piper,  is  the  mod- 
ern Locheim  in  the  Rhine  province. 

Page  155.     Note  1.  Etzel,  see  note  7  to  page  1. 

Note  2.  rfelca  (M.  H.  G.  Helche)  or  Herka,  Etzel's  wife,  is 
the  daughter  of  king  Oseric.li  or  Osnntrix,  as  the  Thidrekmga  calls 
him.  In  the  latter  work  (chap.  73-80)  we  read  how  Riideger 
( Rodingeir)  took  her  by  force  from  her  father  and  brought  her  to 
Etzel  to  be  the  hitter's  bride.  On  her  identity  with  the  historical 
Kerka  of  Priscus,  see  Bleyer,  PB.  Beit.  XXXI,  542. 

Note  3.  Riideger  of  Bechelaren,  or,  as  the  name  reads  in 
the  Thidrekaagn,  Rodingeir  af  Bakalar,  is  probably  not  an  histori- 
cal personage,  hut  the  hero  of  a  separate  legend.  Kvidence  of  this 
is  seen  in  the  fact  that  he  calls  himself  an  exile,  though  lie  is 
Etzel's  mightiest  vassal,  with  castles  and  lands  in  fief.  He  may 
have  been  introduced,  as  Wilmanns  (Auz.  xvm,  101)  thinks,  to 
play  a  role  originally  assigned  to  Dietrich,  who  is  also  an  exile. 
Mullenhoff  considered  him  to  have  been  a  mythical  person. 
Bechelaren,  or  Pechlarn,  lies  at  the  junction  of  the  Erlach  with 
the  Danube. 


332  NOTES 

Page  157.  Note  1.  hast  seen  here.  Biterolf,  9471,  relates 
that  Dietrich  had  carried  Siegfried,  when  young,  by  force  to  Et- 
zel's  court. 

Page  159.  Note  1.  full  soon.  See  note  1  to  page  12. 

Page  168.  Note  1.  paynim  (O.  F.  paienime,  late  Latin  pa- 
ganismus),  '  heathen.' 

Page  172.  Note  1.  gold  for  offerings.  This  was  the  gold  to 
be  used  as  offering  when  masses  were  sung  for  Siegfried's  soul. 

Page  174.  Note  1.  Vergen  is  the  modern  Pforing,  below 
Ingolstadt.  A  ferry  across  the  river  existed  here  from  ancient 
times. 

Note  2.  Pilgrim,  or  Pilgerin,  as  he  is  variously  called,  is  an 
historical  personage.  He  was  bishop  of  Passau  from  971  to  991. 
Without  doubt  he  is  a  late  introduction,  according  to  Boer  be- 
tween 1181  and  1185.  See  Boer,  n,  204,  and  E.  L.  Diimmler, 
Pilgrim  von  Passau,  Leipzig,  1854. 

Page  175.  Note  1.  Enns  (M.  H.  G.  Ens)  is  one  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Danube,  flowing  into  it  about  eleven  miles  south- 
east of  Linz. 

Note  2.  Efferding  (M.  H.  G.  Everdingen)  is  a  town  on  the 
Danube,  about  thirteen  miles  west  of  Linz. 

Note  3.  Traun  (M.  H.  G.  Trune)  is  a  river  of  Upper  Austria, 
forty-four  miles  southeast  of  Linz. 

Page  176.  Note  1.  truncheons,  see  note  3  to  page  6. 

Page  177.  Note  1.  Botelung's  son  is  Attila,  who  is  so  called 
in  our  poem,  in  the  Klage,  and  in  Biterolf.  In  the  earlier  Norse 
version  Atli  is  the  son  of  Budli.  (On  this  point  see  Miillenhoff, 
Zur  Geschichte  der  Nibelungensage,  p.  106,  and  Zsfd  A.,  x,  161, 
and  Bleyer,  PB.  Beit,  xxxi,  459,  where  the  names  are  shown 
to  be  identical. 

Page  178.  Note  1.  Medelick  is  the  modern  Mblk,  or  Melk, 
a  town  on  the  Danube  near  the  influx  of  the  Bilach.  It  lies  at  the 
foot  of  a  granite  cliff  on  which  stands  a  famous  Benedictine 
abbey. 

Note  2.  Astolt  appears  only  in  this  passage  ;  nothing  else  is 
known  of  him. 

Note  3.  Mautern  is  situated  at  the  influx  of  the  Flanitz,  op- 
posite Stein  in  Lower  Austria. 

Page  179.  Note  1.  Traisem,  Traisen,  is  a  tributary  of  the 
Danube  in  Lower  Austria,  emptying  near  Traismauer. 


NOTES  333 

Note  2.  Zeisenmauer  (M.  H.  G.  Zeizenmure).  All  the  MSS. 
but  C  and  D  have  this  reading.  The  latter  have  Treysenmoure  and 
treisem  moure,  which  corresponds  better  to  the  modern  name,  as 
Zeiselmauer  lies  between  Tulln  and  Vienna.  It  is  possible,  how- 
ever, that  the  town  on  the  Traisem  was  originally  called  Zeisel- 
mauer, as  the  road  leadiug  from  Traismauer  to  Tulln  still  bears 
the  name  of  Zeiselstrasse.  See  Lachmann,  Anmerkungen,  1272, 
3,  and  Piper,  n,  289,  note  to  str.  1333. 

Page  180.  Note  1.  Kiev  (M.  H.  G.  Kiew)  is  now  a  govern- 
ment in  the  southwestern  part  of  Russia.  Its  capital  of  the  same 
name,  situated  on  the  Dnieper,  is  the  oldest  of  the  better  known 
cities  of  Russia,  and  in  the  later  Middle  Ages  was  an  important 
station  of  the  Hanseatic  league. 

Note  2.  Petschenegers,  a  Turkish  tribe  originally  dwelling 
to  the  north  of  the  Caspian.  By  concpuest  they  acquired  a  king- 
dom extending  from  the  Don  to  Transylvania.  They  were  feared 
for  their  ferociousness  and  because  they  continually  invaded  the 
surrounding  countries,  especially  Kiev. 

Note  3.  Tulna  (M.  H.  G.  Tulne)  is  the  modern  Tulln,  a 
walled  town  of  Lower  Austria,  seventeen  miles  northwest  of 
Vienna  on  the  Danube. 

Page  181.  Note  1.  Ramung  and  Gibeck  (M.  EL  G.  Gibeche) 
appear  only  in  our  poem,  nothing  else  is  known  of  them. 

Note  2.  Hornbog  is  frequently  mentioned  in  the  Thidrek- 
aaga,  but  nothing  otherwise  is  known  of  him. 

Note  3.  Hawart  is  perhaps  identical  with  the  Saxon  duke 
Hadugot,  who  is  reputed  to  have  played  an  important  part  in  the 
conquest  of  Thuringia.  He  evidently  comes  from  the  Low  Ger- 
man version. 

NOTE  1.  Iring  is  considered  by  Wilmanns  to  have  been  origi- 
nally an  ancient  deity,  as  the  Milky  Way  is  called  Fringe  Strdzi  or 
Iringi.  He  occurs  in  a  legend  of  the  fall  of  the  Thuringian  king- 
dom, where  he  played  such  a  prominent  role  that  the  Milky  Way 
was  named  after  him.  See  W.Grimm,  Heldensage,  ]>.  .">!»!,  who 
thinks,  however,  that  the  connection  of  Iring  with  the  Milky  Way 
is  the  result  of  a  confusion. 

Notk  5.  Irnfried  is  considered  to  be  Hermanfiid  of  Thurin- 
gia, who  was  overthrown  and  killed  in  535  by  Theuderich  with 
the  aid  of  the  Saxons.  See  Felix  Dahn,  Urge8chichte,  III,  73-79. 
He,  too,  comes  from  the  Low  German  tradition. 


334  NOTES 

Note  6.  Bloedel  is  Bleda,  the  brother  of  Attila,  with  whom 
he  reigned  conjointly  from  433  to  445.  In  our  poem  the  name 
appears  frequently  with  the  diminutive  ending,  as  Bloedelin. 

Page  184.  Note  1.  Werbel  and  Swemmel,  who  doubtless 
owe  their  introduction  to  some  minstrel,  enjoy  special  favor  and 
are  intrusted  with  the  important  mission  of  inviting  the  Burgun- 
dians  to  Etzel's  court,  an  honor  that  would  hardly  be  accorded 
to  persons  of  their  rank.  Swemmel  appears  mostly  in  the  di- 
minutive form  Swemmelin. 

Note  2.  Heimburg  lies  on  the  Danube  near  the  Hungarian 
border. 

Page  185.  Note  1.  Misenburg  is  the  modern  Wieselburg  on 
the  Danube,  twenty-one  miles  southeast  of  Pressburg. 

Note  2.  Etzelburg  was  later  identified  with  the  old  part  of 
Budapest,  called  in  German  Ofen,  through  the  influence  of  Hun- 
garian legends,  but,  as  G.  Heinrich  has  shown,  had  no  definite 
localization  in  the  older  M.  H.  G.  epics.  See  Bleyer,  PB.  Beit, 
xxxi,  433  and  506.  The  name  occurs  in  documents  as  late  as 
the  fifteenth  century. 

Note  3.  Herrat,  the  daughter  of  King  Nentwin,  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  the  Thidreksaga  as  Dietrich's  betrothed.  She  is 
spoken  of  as  the  exiled  maid. 

Note  4.  Nentwin  is  not  found  in  any  other  saga,  and  nothing 
else  is  known  of  him.     See  W.  Grimm,  Heldensage,  103. 

Page  187.  Note  1.  Ortlieb  is  not  historical,  and  in  the  Thi- 
dreksaga Etzel's  son  is  called  Aldrian.  Bleyer,  Die  germanischen 
Elemente  der  ungariscken,  Hunnensage,  PB.  Beit,  xxxr,  570,  at- 
tempt to  prove  the  identity  of  the  names  by  means  of  a  form 
*  Arda,  giving  on  the  one  hand  Hungarian  Aladar,  Aldrian,  on 
the  other  German  Arte,  Orte. 

Page  190.  Note  1.  Hungary.  According  to  the  account  in 
Waltharius,  Hagen  spent  his  youth  as  a  hostage  at  Etzel's  court. 

Page  197.  Note  1.  hostage,  i.  e.,  he  has  never  betrayed  you 
to  your  enemies. 

Page  201.  Note  1.  Gran,  royal  free  city  of  Hungary,  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Danube  opposite  the  influx  of  the  Gran,  twenty- 
four  miles  northwest  of  Budapest. 

Page  203.  Note  1.  a  thousand  and  sixty.  This  does  not 
agree  with  the  account  in  Adventure  XXIV,  where  we  read  of  a 
thousand  of  Hagen's  men,  eighty  of  Dank  wart's,  and  thirty  of 


NOTES  335 

Folker's.  The  nine  thousand  foot  soldiers  mentioned  here  are  a 
later  interpolation,  as  the  Thidreksaga  speaks  of  only  a  thousand 
all  told. 

Page  205.  Note  1.  Eastern  Frankland,  or  East  Franconia, 
is  the  ancient  province  of  Franconia  Orientalis,  the  region  to  the 
east  of  the  Spessart  forest,  including  the  towns  of  Fulda,  Wiirz- 
burg  and  Bamberg.  In  Biterolf  Dietlieb  journeys  through  East- 
ern Frankland  to  the  Danube. 

Note  2.  Swanfield  (M.  H.  G.  Swanevelde)  is  the  ancient 
province  of  Sualafeld  between  the  Rezat  and  the  Danube. 

Page  206.  Note  1.  Gelfrat  is  a  Bavarian  lord  and  the  brother 
of  Else,  mentioned  below.   Their  father's  name  was  also  Else. 

Note  2.  wise  women,  a  generic  name  for  all  supernatural 
women  of  German  mythology.  While  it  is  not  specifically  men- 
tioned, it  is  probable  that  the  wise  women,  or  mermaids,  as  they 
are  also  called  here,  were  'swan  maidens,'  which  play  an  important 
role  in  many  legends  and  are  endowed  with  the  gift  of  prophecy. 
They  appear  in  the  form  of  swans,  and  the  strange  attire  of  the 
wise  women  mentioned  here  refers  to  the  so-called  swan  clothes 
which  they  wort?  and  which  enabled  Hagen  to  recognize  them  as 
supernatural  beings.  On  bathing  they  lav  aside  this  garment, 
and  he  who  obtains  possession  of  it  has  them  in  his  power.  This 
explains  their  eagerness  to  give  Hagen  information,  if  he  will 
return  their  garments  to  them.  For  an  account  of  them  see 
Grimm's  Mi/thologie4,  355. 

Page  207.  Note  1.  Aldrian  is  not  an  historical  personage  ; 
I  lie  name  is  merely  a  derivative  of  aldiro,  '  the  elder,*  and  signifies 

'ancestor,1  just  as  I'ta  means  'ancestress.'  In  tin-  Thidreksaga 
Aldrian  is  the  king  of  the  Nibelunff  land  and  tin  father  of  Gun- 
ther,  Giselher,  and  Gemot,  whereas  Hagen  is  the  son  of  an  elf 
by  the  same  mother. 

Page  208.  Note  1.  Else  appears  also  in  Biterolf;  in  the 
Thidreksaga  he  is  called  Elsung,  the  younger,  as  his  father  bore 
the  same  name.     See  note  to  page  200,  1. 

NOTE  2.  Amelrich  is  the  ferryman's  brother. 

Page  209.  Note  1.  spear.  It  was  the  custom  to  offer  pre- 
sents on  a  spear  point,  perhaps  to  prevent  the  recipient  from 
lieronsly  using  his  sword.  Compare  the  similar  description 
in  th«-  Hildebrandslied,  37,  where  we  are  told  that  gifts  should  be 
received  with  the  spear. 


336  NOTES 

Note  2.  goods.  In  the  Thidreksaga  the  ferryman  desires  tht 
ring  for  his  young  wife,  which  explains  hetter  the  allusion  to  mar- 
riage and  the  desire  for  wealth. 

Page  210.  Note  1.  to-broke,  see  note  4  to  p.  6. 
Page  212.  Note  1.  clerk,  'priest.' 

Page  214.  Note  1.  Adventure  XXVI.  This  adventure  is 
a  late  interpolation,  as  it  is  not  found  in  the  Thidreksaga.  Origi- 
nally the  river  must  be  thought  of  as  separating  them  from 
Etzel's  kingdom. 

Note  2.  Moering  (M.  H.  G.  Moeringen)  lies  between  Pfor- 
ing  and  Ingolstadt.  In  the  Thidreksaga  we  are  told  that  the  mer- 
maids were  bathing  in  a  body  of  water  called  Moere,  whereas  in 
our  poem  they  bathe  in  a  spring.  This  may  be  the  original  form 
of  the  account  and  the  form  here  contaminated.  See  Boer,  1, 134. 

Page  219.  Note  1.  Eckewart,  see  note  7  to  page  2.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  he  accompanied  Kriemhild  first  to  the 
Netherlands,  then  stayed  with  her  at  Worms  after  Siegfried's 
death,  and  finally  journeyed  with  her  to  Etzel's  court.  Origi- 
nally he  must  be  thought  of  as  guarding  the  boundary  of  Etzel's 
land.  Without  doubt  he  originally  warned  the  Burgundians,  as 
in  the  early  Norse  versions,  where  Kriemhild  fights  on  the  side 
of  her  brothers,  but  since  this  duty  was  given  to  Dietrich,  lie  has 
nothing  to  do  but  to  announce  their  arrival  to  Riideger.  His 
sleeping  here  may,  however,  be  thought  to  indicate  that  it  was 
too  late  to  warn  Gunther  and  his  men. 

Page  223.  Note  1.  chaplets,  see  note  1  to  page  80. 

Page  224.  Note  1.  of  yore,  see  note  1  to  page  190. 

Page  229.   Note    1.  Nudung   was   slain,   according   to   the 

Thidreksaga,  chap.    335,  by    Vidga  (here   Wittich,    M.    H.   G. 

Witege,  the  son  of  Wielant,  the  smith,  in  the  battle  of  Grons- 

port.  There,  chap.  369,  he  is  Gotelind's  brother,  but  in  Biterolf 

and  the  Rosengartcn  he  is  her  son. 

Note  2.  marks,  see  note  1  to  page  32. 

Page  2:>2.  Note  1.  Hildebrand  is  the  teacher  and  armor 
bearer  of  Dietrich.  He  is  the  hero  of  the  famous  Hildebrandslied. 

Note  2.  Wolfhart  is  Hildebrand's  nephew.  In  the  Thidrek* 
saga  he  falls  in  the  battle  of  Gronsport. 

Note  3.  Amelung  land  is  the  name  under  wdiich  Dietrich's 
land  appears.  Theodorich,  the  king  of  the  East  Goths,  belonged 
to  the  race  of  the  Amali. 


NOTES  337 

Page  234.  Note  1.  feast.  That  Kriemhild  kissed  only  Gisel- 
her,  who  was  innocent  of  Siegfried's  death,  aroused  Hagen's 
suspicions. 

Page  236.  Note  1.  vassal.  No  other  account  speaks  of  Al- 
ii rian  as  being  at  Etzel's  court.  He  is  probably  confused  here 
with  his  son,  for  Hagen's  stay  with  Etzel  is  related  in  various 
legends,  as  also  in  our  poem  a  few  lines  further  down. 

Note  2.  Walther  of  Spain  is  Walther  of  Aquitania,  a  le- 
gendary personage  of  whom  the  O.  E.  fragment  Waldere,  the 
Latin  epic  Waltharius,  a  M.  H.  G.  epic,  and  the  Thidreksaga  tell. 
He  rices  with  Hildegund,  the  daughter  of  the  Burguudian  King 
Herrich,  from  Etzel's  court,  us  related  here,  but  has  to  fight  for 
his  life  against  overpowering  numbers,  in  the  Thidreksaga  against 
the  pursuing  Huns,  in  the  other  sources  against  the  Burgun- 
dians.  In  both  cases  Hagen  is  among  his  foes,  but  takes  no  part 
in  the  fight  at  first,  out  of  friendship  for  Walther. 

Page  242.  Note  1.  scathful  scathe  here  imitates  the  M.  H. 
G.  scaden  scedeUch. 

Page  243.  Note  1.  Balmung,  see  note  2  to  page  14. 

Note  2.  friend  .  .  .  friendly.  This  repetition  occurs  in  the 
original. 

Note  3.  Irnfried,  see  note  5  to  page  181. 

Page  211.  Note  1.  Haw-art  and  Iring,  see  notes  3  and  1  to 
page  181. 

Note  2.  morat  (M.  H.  G.  moraz)  from  late  Latin  moratum, 
mulberry  wine,  is  a  beverage  composed  of  honey  flavored  with 
mulberry-juice. 

Pace  217.  Note  1.  Arras,  the  capital  of  Artois  in  the  French 
Netherlands.   In  older  English  arras  is  used  also  for  tapestry. 

PAGE250.  Note  1.  Adventure  XXXI.  This  adventure  is 
of  late  origin,  being  Bound  only  in  our  poem.  Sec  the  introduc- 
tion, page  xli. 

Page  253.  Note  I.  truncheons,  see  note  ::  to  page  •'>. 

Note    2.  Schrutan.    This  name  doe,  not    occur   elsewhere. 
Piper  suggests,  that   perhaps  a  Scotchman  is  meant,  as  Skorottan 
appears  in  ill"  Thidreksaga, chap.  28,  as  an  ancient  name  of  Scot 
land. 

Note  3.  Gibecke,  Ramung  and  Hornbog,  see  notes  I  and 
2  to  page  181. 

Page  256.  Note  1.  Nudung,  see  note  1  to  page  229. 


338  NOTES 

Page  257.  Note  1.  Ortlieb.  In  the  Thidreksaga  Etzel's  sou 
is  called  Aldrian.  There,  however,  he  is  killed  because  he  strikes 
Hagen  in  the  face,  here  in  revenge  for  the  killing  of  the  Bur- 
gundian  footmen. 

Page  258.  Note  1.  fey,  see  note  1  to  page  21. 

Page  259.  Note  1.  Adventure  XXXII.  The  details  of  the 
following  scenes  differ  materially  in  the  various  sources.  A  com- 
parative study  of  them  will  be  found  in  the  works  of  Wilmanns 
and  Boer. 

Page  260.  Note  1.  marriage  morning  gift  (M.  H.  G.  mor- 
gengabe)  was  given  by  the  bridegroom  to  the  bride  on  the  morn- 
ing after  the  wedding.  See  note  1  to  page  151. 

Page  261.  Note  1.  Aldrian's  son,  i.  e.,  Dankwart. 

Page  262.  Note  1.  sewers  (O.  F.  asseour,  M.  L.  adsessor 
'  one  who  sets  the  table  '  ;  cf.  F.  asseoir  '  to  set,'  '  place,'  Lat.  ad 
sedere),  older  English  for  an  upper  servant  who  brought  on 
and  removed  the  dishes  from  the  table. 

Page  264.  Note  1.  friendship  translates  the  M.  H.  G.  minne 
trinken  '  to  drink  to  the  memory  of  a  person,'  an  old  custom  orig- 
inating with  the  idea  of  pouring  out  a  libation  to  the  gods.  Later 
it  assumed  the  form  of  drinking  to  the  honor  of  God,  of  a  saint, 
or  of  an  absent  friend.     See  Grimm,  Mythologie,  p.  48. 

Page  266.  Note  1.  Amelungs,  see  note  3  to  page  232. 

Page  268.  Note  1.  Wolf  hart,  see  note  2  to  page  232. 

Page  270.  Note  1.  gauds,  ornaments. 

Page  276.  Note  1.  weregild  (O.  E.  loer,  'a  man,'  gild,  'pay- 
ment of  money'),  legal  term  for  compensation  paid  for  a  man 
killed. 

Page  277.  Note  1.  Waska.  In  Biterolf  it  is  the  name  of  the 
sword  of  Walther  of  Wasgenstein  and  is  connected  with  the  old 
German  name,  Wazgenwald,  for  the  Vosges. 

Page  289.  Note  1.  parlous,  older  English  for  '  perilous.' 

Page  290.  Note  1.  fey,  'doomed  to  death,"  here  in  the  sense 
of  '  already  slain.'  See  note  1  to  page  21. 

Page  292.  Note  1.  strangers,  i.  e.,  those  who  are  sojourning 
there  far  from  home. 

Page  302.  Note  1.  Helfrich  appears  also  in  the  Thidreksaga, 
chap.  330,  where  we  are  told  that  he  was  the  bravest  and  court- 
liest of  all  knights. 

Page  303.  NoteI.  Master  Hildebrand,  see  note  1  to  page  232 


NOTES  339 

Page  30."}.  NOTE  1.  Siegstab  is  Dietrich's  nephew.  He  also 
appears  in  the  Thidreksaga,  but  in  a  different  role. 

Note  2.  Wolfwin  is  mentioned  in  the  Klage,  1541,  as  Die- 
trich's nephew. 

Note  3.  Wolfbrand  and  Helmnot  .appear  only  here. 

Page  308.  Note  1.  Ritschart.  With  the  exception  of  Helf- 
rich  (sec  note  1  to  page  302),  these  names  do  not  occur  elsewhere, 
though  one  of  the  sons  of  Haimon  was  called  Wichart. 

Page  316.  Note  1.  Waskstone,  see  note  1  to  page  277. 

PAGE  320.  Note  1.  fall.  The  word  not,  translated  here  fall, 
means  really  'disaster,'  but  as  this  word  is  not  in  keeping  with 
the  style,  fall  has  been  chosen  as  preferable  to  'need,'  used  by 
some  translators.  The  MS.  ('  has  here  Ret  instead  of  not  of  A 
and  B. 

The  Nibelungenlied  is  continued  by  the  so-called  Klage,  a  poem 
written  in  short  rhyming  couplets.  As  the  name  indicates,  it 
describes  the  lamentations  of  the  survivors  over  the  dead.  The 
praises  of  each  warrior  are  sung  and  a  messenger  dispatched  to 
acquaint  Gotelind,  Uta,  and  Brunhild  with  the  sad  end  of  their 
kinsmen.  It  closes  with  Dietrich's  departure  from  Etzel's  court 
and  his  return  home.  Although  in  one  sense  a  continuation  of 
our  poem,  the  Klage  is  an  independent  work  of  no  great  merit, 
being  excessively  tedious  with  its  constant  repetitions.  A  reprint 
and  a  full  account  of  it  will  be  found  in  Piper's  edition  of  our 
poem,  vol.  I. 


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